


Mio Soldatino (My Little Soldier)

by orphan_account



Series: Of Dead Sons and New Beginnings [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adult Nico, Adult Percy, Book 2: The Son of Neptune, Caspian is their son, Dysfunctional Family, F/F, F/M, Family Feels, Happy Nico, Happy Percy, M/M, Nico Feels, Nico is a Dork, Past Mpreg, Percy is a Dork, Slow Build, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-12
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-02-25 04:18:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2608217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Caspian di Angelo-Jackson died when he was seventeen. </p>
<p>Yeah. It sucked majorly. </p>
<p>Not to mention it was a rogue Hellhound that ripped him to shreds. He'd bled out and died fighting something his Dad had defeated when he was just twelve. How humilating. Not only that, but he'd been forced to leave his family behind. Then when he woke up in the Fields of Asphodel, he was pretty pissed. You'd think the grandson of Hades would get better than that...but nope. He had resigned himself to an eternity of nothingness. At least he had, until he met a strange girl in the fields who bore a striking resemblance to his Aunt Hazel. </p>
<p>The story in which Percy and Nico's seventeen year old dead son ended up being wrapped in their quest to save Hera and Olympus. Or the story of how a seventeen year old dead guy ended up meeting his Dads when they were young and saving the world. All the while trying to come to terms with his death and the fact that his fathers were once horny teenagers too. </p>
<p>Oh yay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Useless Ways to Die

_"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next."_ -Gilda Susan Radner

 

It all started with the death of Caspian di Angelo-Jackson.

Which in all seriousness, wasn't all it's cracked up to be. He had expected the usual death treatment. You know, like the ones you see on TV? All that white-light holy shit? Nope, it wasn't like that at all. In fact, he didn't even realize he was dead at first. Oh, he knew he'd been hurt really bad. That much was obvious from the blood and guts and holy-shit-is-that-white-thing-bone?! But the major thing was that it didn't hurt. Wasn't dying supposed to hurt? All Caspian registered was that there was blood all over his hands and covering his shirt. He didn't even think that it was his. Sure he felt all weirdly cold and his limbs were all heavy, but he'd thought it was just the shock of fighting a monster by himself. He'd fought monsters before but his Dads had always been with him, flanking his sides with their swords blazing.

This hellhound had come out of nowhere. It was easily the size of Mrs. O'Leary and built like a tank on legs. But instead of nuzzling him and playing with him like Mrs. O'Leary would've done, the monster had simply attacked. It had ripped his chest to fleshy ribbons before he'd even had a chance to fight back. The whole thing had just happened so fast. Caspian didn't even have a spare moment to reach up and grab the metallic sand-dollar pendant that hung around his neck. It had been a gift from his grandfather Poseidon when he was just a baby, the sand-dollar pendant when it was squeezed, would turn into a long-blade sword with a curved black tip. His Dad had trained him in swordplay as a kid, one of those mandatory life subjects that he insisted Caspian learn. His Babbo had insisted upon it as well, though he'd also stressed that Dad should be the one to teach him. Babbo would teach him other things, like how to speak fluent Italian and play Mythomagic, a card game that he'd enjoyed as a child. Even at seventeen, years after he'd stopped playing the stupid game, Caspian could still regurgitate any number of Mythomagic stats on a whim. It was funny really, but as he lay dying, all he could think about were the blood stains soaking into his Babbo's old deck of Mythomagic cards. Caspian would always carry them around in the front pocket of his jeans. The jeans that were currently tacky and black with blood.

He fell asleep after that.

Well it would be more accurate to say he died, but as previously stated, it didn't really feel like dying. His head had been as heavy as a brick and he'd only shut his eyes for a minute. But apparently that had been enough. He really felt bad for whoever found his body though. It looked like utter shit. Ripped to shreds, blood covered and speckled with a bunch of other assorted gruesome wounds. Yet as his soul pulled away from his body, he really couldn't bring himself to care anymore. It was as if he was being dunked in a bucket of ice water. His senses were completely shot. The only things he registered anymore were the low ringing sensations in his ears and what felt like gentle hands on his face. And just like that, the seventeen years of Caspian's life were over.

He woke up in the Fields of Asphodel, curled up under a dead poplar tree.

There was no question about it then. He knew exactly where he was. His Babbo had brought him to the Underworld numerous times when he was still alive, his grandfather Hades had enjoyed the visits. Or he'd at least enjoyed them as much as the god of death could enjoy anything. It was just that Caspian had never expected to find himself there. He'd always hoped that he'd get into Elysium one day, maybe even the Isles of the Blest. Instead he'd ended up in the Fields of Asphodel with all the rest of the neutral and lost souls. Great, so even when his Dads died, he wouldn't be with them. They'd get Elysium without a doubt and Caspian would be alone the rest of his life. No scratch that, he wasn't even alive anymore. The rest of his eternity as a ghost. Tears dripped down his cheeks and collected in the dead wheat stalks beneath him. Dead like him. Calloused hands scrubbed at his eyes viciously, crying like a scared child wasn't going to solve anything. He shoved himself to his feet and just sighed as he looked around. Nothing.

The Fields of Asphodel was like damnation to eternal nothingness. There was no color, no sound, no life. All the grass was dead and crunched underfoot. The other ghosts mulled around silently, sometimes staying in the same place, other times moving around sluggishly. They all appeared hazy, like the lines that made up their bodies were smudged. But when Caspian looked down at his own hands, at his own body, it looked as whole and as clear as day. He still had his sand-dollar pendant around his neck and he identified the familiar weight of his Babbo's Mythomagic cards in his pocket. Were ghosts supposed to carry their possessions to the Underworld? It just felt wrong somehow. Everything just felt so wrong.

Caspian shuffled towards the leafless poplar tree again, leaning forwards until the tips of his scuffed converse sneakers were pressed against the protruding roots. He rested his forehead against the cool blackened bark and let a few more useless tears slide down his freckled cheeks. He hated his freckles. He'd always hated his freckles. They made him look odd when compared to his Dads. His Babbo was Italian and because of that he had olive-toned skin and dark hair. While his Dad had sea-green eyes and tan skin. But Caspian looked like an odd mishmash of the two. He did have olive-toned skin but it was marred by freckles and he was short and petite, a stark contrast to his tall Dads. The only thing he actually liked about his appearance were the sea-green eyes that he'd inherited from his Dad. But now he hated them. He hated the fact that he would never see his Dads again. The eternally seventeen year old stayed pressed against the dead tree for a long time. He had no idea how long he stayed like that, it was all a huge haze. But he did remember when he saw her. The girl who didn't look like the other spirits. She wasn't smudged or faded, she was as clear as Caspian himself. He didn't speak to her at first, but he did pull away from the tree when she sat down beside him. It felt necessary for him to do so. They stayed in silence for a while, there's no need to hurry when you're dead, and Caspian was readying himself to make the first move, when the girl spoke instead.

"Do you remember your name?"

The question was so frank that it nearly took Caspian's breath away. For a second he'd thought he was dying all over again. It was the first sound he'd heard in the Fields and it grated on the insides of his ears painfully. The girl in question wasn't even looking at him, she was looking out into the distance stiffly. Her cinnamon colored hair was falling in her face and her eyes were shadowed. She looked to be around maybe thirteen or fourteen. He couldn't help but wonder how she had died and why she didn't look like the others. Why he himself didn't look like the others.

"Caspian. But my family used to call me Cas."

He whispered softly, his chest squeezing painfully as he thought of them. His numerous Aunts, Uncles and his Dads. Uncle Leo had been the first person to call him Cas. The messy haired mechanic had announced that he thought 'Caspian' was too long of a name to yell when he was pissed and would just call him Cas or Cassie. Before long it had been picked up by nearly everybody but his Babbo. His Babbo always called him 'mio soldatino', my little soldier in Italian, apparently he'd had great dreams for his only son, even from the beginning. It was too bad that Caspian didn't fulfill any of them. He could never use his powers right. His Dad could move entire oceans with his water-powers; Caspian couldn't even cause a tiny wave. His Babbo could control the dead and summon ghosts; Caspian couldn't even shadow-travel more than a foot. He was a demigod failure. He'd expressed that sentiment to his Dads numerous times, but they never gave up on him. They told him that he'd be able to use his powers one day. But by seventeen, he knew it was never going to happen. In fact, on the eve of his seventeenth birthday, he'd trudged out from their house and down to the beach. He spent hours down there, trying to shadow-travel or make waves. Anything. He just wanted his Dads to be proud of him.

That's how they ended up finding him in the morning. He was lying on the wet sand, flat on his back and his arms eagle-spread. There was sand in his messy dark hair and all over his face. He still hadn't managed to do anything right and he'd hated himself for that. How was it that two of the most powerful demigods in existence, got together and had the most useless kid imaginable? His Dad had just sighed softly and sat cross-legged in the sand beside his teenage son's prone body. The thirty-eight year old man was wearing nothing but an old t-shirt and some boxers, yet he didn't make a sound as he settled himself in the freezing sand. His Babbo took a different approach however and bent down sharply to ruffle the sand out of Caspian's hair. "So I'm assuming training didn't go so well, mio soldatino." The thirty-five year old man reasoned gently as Caspian squinted up at him with irritated, sand-caked eyes. Finally he just closed them again and threw his arms up in defeat. "I suck majorly! Leave me here to rot and die!" He groaned dramatically and his Dad chuckled softly to reach over and brush some of the sand from his son's brow.

"Aw Cassie, you only suck a little bit."

"Percy, you're not helping! If anything you're giving our child self-esteem issues."

"Babbo, I don't have self-esteem issues..." Caspian moaned again, his calloused hands scrubbing at the grimy sand caked on his face. But his Dads reactively ignored him and then proceeded to do that fighting/flirting thing they always did when they were pissed at one another. Somehow they all ended up in the water. Dad had bodily dragged Babbo into the lapping waves and when he proceeded to do the same with Caspian, the tired teenager hadn't fought. Powers or not, being in the sea always made him feel revived and alive. The sadness and frustration seemed to melt away, as he playfully splashed at his Dad. Who then called up a huge wave to nearly drown the seventeen year old under the frothy waves. All the while, his Babbo was scowling at the water like it had gone and killed his cat. Every time some stray water droplets landed on his olive-toned skin, the Italian man would grimace as though in pain.

So of course, as soon as Perseus Jackson was done assaulting his child with water, he turned on his husband. Nico Di Angelo practically squealed like a little girl as his husband quickly and gently dunked him under the salt water. When he came back up, the Ghost King was fuming and then proceeded to chase his significant other with shadow tendrils curling around him. Percy was laughing almost hysterically as he stumbled through the thick mounds of sand. Caspian was still standing in the seawater, soaking wet and grinning like a madman as he watched his Dads run around like a pair of toddlers on a sugar-high. It had been a good day. Gods, he missed them so much. He didn't even realize he was crying until the strange girl leaned over to gently rest a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm Hazel."

She whispered, so low that Caspian had to strain in order to hear her. It made him think of his Aunt Hazel. Messy hair falling out of a meticulously placed bun, an infectious laughter and a smile that could brighten Tartarus. Suddenly, Caspian squinted at the girl, she did look a lot like his Aunt Hazel. But he brushed it off, that was impossible. After his maniac thoughts, they sat in silence for a while. Just enjoying each others company and lost in the sadness of the lives they'd left behind.

Caspian had no idea how long he spent in the Underworld, time seemed to move frighteningly fast there, yet also painfully slow at the same time. It could have been days, or it very well could have been weeks. Everything looked the same, nothing changed. The only way he knew time had passed was that he would switch around his Babbo's old deck of blood-stained Mythomagic cards. Sometimes they'd be in his left front pocket, other times in his right. It was a change and Caspian desperately needed one. But the biggest change by far, happened when a looming shadow fell over the pair that sat beneath the poplar tree. It was a teenage boy in a long black overcoat, with a Stygian iron sword at his hip. Caspian couldn't see the boy's face at first, though Hazel seemed too. She slowly stuck her hand out and wrapped it around Caspian's wrist, she was scared. He could feel the fear that emanated from her and seemed to permeate the stale air between them. Neither of them moved, until the boy focused on Hazel's face. He stared at her for a strange amount of time, as if he were looking at a menu and deciding whether or not to order. Finally he spoke in a voice that was so familiar, it left Caspian reeling and blinking in disbelief.

"You’re different. A child of Pluto. You remember your past."

Hazel nodded at the boy and Caspian had to resist the urge to rub at his eyes in shock, trying to make sure what he was seeing was real and not some extended hallucination. But the voice...that voice...

Babbo?

No, it couldn't be! His Babbo was thirty-five years old; this kid looked like he wasn't a day older than fourteen. His Babbo had healthy olive-toned skin and long dark hair in a ponytail that Caspian's Dad liked to tug on; this kid was too pale and sickly looking, his hair was short and shaggy enough to shadow his eyes. There was no way this kid was his Babbo. But that voice...that sword...it had to be him. Nobody else could replicate that to such an extent. Did that mean that the Hazel who sat beside him was actually his Aunt Hazel? His beloved Aunt who took him horseback riding for the first time when he was three? Suddenly the splash of freckles across her nose became all the more familiar and the cinnamon colored hair brought back so many memories. But how in Hades had he ended up in the past Fields of Asphodel? He had no one to ask. His Babbo, the younger version, was still talking to Hazel. Caspian had heard the story of how he'd pulled her out of the Underworld before, but he didn't think he was ever going to actually see it happen.

"I’m Nico di Angelo. I came here looking for my sister. Death has gone missing, so I thought ... I thought I could bring her back and no one would notice."

His voice just sounded so wan, so broken that Caspian's heart hurt for him. Hazel seemed to be sharing the same sentiment, because she was the one who whispered how sorry she was. That caused Nico's head to snap to attention as he extended a hand towards her. "You’re my sister too. You deserve another chance. Come with me."

"Hazel?"

Both heads turned to Caspian as he called out her name. Hazel's hand was still tightly clamped around his wrist and it was dragging his upper body forwards as she made a move to stand up. When Nico's eyes met his own, he could see how the boy stiffened and Caspian knew exactly why. He had his Dad's sea-green eyes and he had his Aunt Bianca's smile. Two things that had always connected him irreversibly to his parents. Now the sight of them made Nico look as if he wanted to violently throw-up. Hazel was just confused as she looked from Caspian to Nico, as if she was waiting for who would win the boxing match. It took what felt like an eternity, but finally Nico spoke. His voice was clipped and hard. In all his seventeen years of life, Cas had never heard his Babbo speak in that tone of voice. He'd heard his Italian father when he was angry, stressed, tired, happy, proud, you name it and he'd probably heard it. But under that dead poplar tree was the first time he'd ever heard him in such pain. It killed Caspian just as much as it seemed to kill Nico.

"Who in Hades are you?"

The seventeen year old didn't waver, even though his legs were shaking like a damn chihuahua's. "Caspian." He whispered, his voice quiet yet strong and steady. His nails were digging into his palms hard enough to draw blood, yet his eyes didn't shirk away from those that would become his father's. Nico stared at his future son like he had a bad taste in his mouth. "Your family name?" He barked, as if he'd expected Caspian's surname right off the bat. Normally the seventeen year old would've answered without hesitation, but this was his Babbo. Or at least the kid who would become his Babbo. He would definitely recognize any truthful surname that Caspian could tell him. So he just made something up...he thought of the first water-related thing he could and spit it out as if it had always been his surname.

"Snow! Uh...my name's Caspian Snow."

That was how he ended up as Caspian Snow. It sounded like some kind of alcoholic beverage, but at that moment in time, he really just couldn't have cared less. Nico seemed to raise a disbelieving eyebrow at Caspian's fabricated surname, almost as if he didn't think the older teenager was being truthful. But he let it go and simply stared silently at the green-eyed teen. "Well...Caspian Snow, you have the blood of a child of Hades. But you also have the blood of the sea-god...how is that possible?"

Nico's voice had turned sullen and closed, as if Cas had disappointed him somehow. The son of Hades also said the older demigod's fabricated surname like it was an insult, something that caused the seventeen year old's first-class temper to take alight in his chest. His fists tightened considerably, sharp nails digging even farther into flesh, as Caspian answered the younger demigod's question. Hazel was still holding on to him silently, as if she was confused yet enraptured by what was happening in front of her. "I'm a demigod born of two demigods. One of my parents was a demigod child of Poseidon, the other was a child of Hades." Cas growled under his breath and Nico nodded, obviously only half-listening. Finally the fourteen year old extended a hand towards Caspian, making all the animosity melt away from his frame. The older teen looked in confusion from the hand to Nico, and then back again. Obviously he couldn't be offering what Cas thought he was offering. "Are you coming or not, Caspian Snow? I don't have all day." Okay, maybe he was offering was the seventeen year old thought he was offering. It didn't take even a moment of deliberation.

Just as he had since he was a child, Caspian reached up and clasped his Babbo's hand.

-TimeSkip-

Guard duty was the worst.

But then again, so was being in the Fifth and most useless Cohort. At least he had Frank and Hazel to help him pass the time. In the nine months he'd been at Camp Jupiter it had kind of become a surrogate home to the seventeen year old. He'd gotten to know Hazel who was funny, sweet and kind, and met Frank who was the human embodiment of a 'gentle giant'. Over the long months they spent together, both had become two of his closest friends. He just wished he could tell them what he really was and even who he really was. But he was terrified that by doing so, he'd alter the past and make it so he'd never existed. Not really a savory premise. Instead, he was Caspian Snow. That kid who saved Octavian, though it was only once and was kind of a freak thing. That was how he'd gotten his stripe, it was his act of valor. Preventing some kid he didn't even like from being trampled by unicorns. Great. So back to the horrors of Guard duty. He was decked out in the Roman armor that was necessary to guard the entrance to the camp. Hazel looked as if her armor was eating her alive, while Frank just looked awkward in his. Cas looked as if he was somewhere in between. All three of them looked like a mess of plumed Roman helmets, breastplates, scabbards, blue jeans, purple T-shirts and white trainers. Not exactly prime war material. Maybe dandelions would quake in fear, but not much else.

Guard duty was one of the worst duties at camp, maybe not as bad as cleaning the latrines, but still pretty bad. If only Cas had known just how important that day of guard duty would be. Maybe he'd have stayed in bed. For most of the day, the entrance to camp had been uneventful, nothing happened. But when they saw the silhouette of a teenager in an orange shirt with an old lady in his arms. Things were going to get real bad, real fast. Of course the kid had to be chased by Gorgons. The day would've been so uneventful if the kid hadn't been running from monsters.

It was Frank who saw them first, he yelled to alert Caspian and Hazel before unslinging his bow and firing off arrow after arrow in rapid succession. The arrows flew over the running boy's head and collided with the screeching Gorgons who tailed him. They didn't kill the monsters of course, only made them angrier. Hazel readied her spear and Caspian reached up to squeeze his pendant. He felt reassured once his sword was in his grasp. Both he and Hazel were screaming at the boy to hurry as Frank tried desperately to kill the monsters with his bow. The boy looked as if he were about to collapse with the old lady in his arms, yet he was still running. Fifty feet. Thirty feet. As the teenager got closer, Cas could finally see his face and he stiffened. That messy dark hair, those sea-green eyes. It was his sixteen year old Dad...oh, shit. No wonder he was being chased into the camp!

His Dad had told him the story of how he'd stumbled into Camp Jupiter before, but it just felt so strange to be seeing it in action. The teen was yanked from his thoughts when one of Frank's arrows whizzed past Caspian's right ear and embedded itself in one of the Gorgons' forehead. The bitch tumbled into the fast lane. A truck slammed into her and carried her backwards a hundred yards, but she just climbed over the cab, pulled the arrow out of her head, and launched back into the air. Godsdammit! Cas cursed under his breath, but it had at least slowed then down long enough for Percy to reach the door. The kid who would become his Dad, looked practically dead on his feet and Caspian had to resist the urge to just piggy-back the younger teen and the old lady the rest of the way. He didn't dare. If his younger Dad was anything like his thirty-eight year old Dad, he wouldn't take too favorably to being helped.

"Cas, Frank! Get them inside quick...those are Gorgons!"

"Gorgons?! Haze, the door won't hold them!" Frank squeaked and Caspian felt bad for him, poor guy had never experienced monsters like these before. Cas tightened his grip on his sword and came to stand beside Hazel. If she looked surprised to see him there, she didn't show it and instead, looked at the exhausted Percy holding the old lady in his shaking arms. The old witch was cackling, "Onward, Percy Jackson! Through the tunnel, over the river!" Caspian rolled his eyes at the ancient-looking goddess in his sixteen year old Dad's arms. Gods, couldn't she see they were hurrying as fast as they could?! Hazel yelled at Frank and Cas to get Percy and the old lady inside, but the seventeen year old was having none if that.

"There is no way you're holding them off alone, Hazel! Frank, you stay with her! If you get cornered, get underground! I'll get Percy to camp! Now go!"

Caspian ordered, he was oldest, so he was the one in charge. Neither Frank or Hazel questioned it as Cas wrapped his arm around Percy's waist and practically heaved the kid and old lady, down and into the tunnel. The seventeen year old was cursing under his breath in both Italian and Latin as he fought his way through the darkness. He didn't want to think about what was happening to Frank and Hazel, but he had faith in them...so he just kept going. Percy was stumbling like he was about to collapse and the old witch in his arms clearly wasn't doing him any favors. Cas had to support part of Percy's weight just so they could go at a fast enough pace. The tunnel itself was doing them any favors either. It cut through solid rock, about the width and height of a school hallway. At first, it looked like a typical maintenance tunnel, with electric cables, warning signs, fuse boxes on the walls and lightbulbs in wire cages along the ceiling. As they ran deeper into the hillside, the cement floor changed to tiled mosaic. The lights changed to reed torches, which burned but didn’t smoke. Percy looked as if he were about to puke and Cas was just fighting to get towards the light in the distance.

Said light got brighter and brighter, until finally they burst into sunlight. Caspian had never been so relieved to see the camp in his life. The camp itself was in a bowl-shaped valley several miles wide. The basin floor was rumpled with smaller hills, golden plains and stretches of forest. A small clear river cut a winding course from a lake in the centre and round the perimeter, like a capital G. The geography was dotted with live oaks and eucalyptus trees, gold hills and blue skies. There was huge inland mountain that rose so high, it could've been touching the sky. In the centre of the valley, nestled by the lake, was a small city of white marble buildings with red-tiled roofs. Some had domes and columned porticoes, like national monuments. Others looked like palaces, with golden doors and large gardens. There was an open plaza with freestanding columns, fountains and statues. A massive Roman coliseum gleamed in the sun, next to a long oval arena like a racetrack. Across the lake to the south, another enormous hill was dotted with even more impressive buildings, the temples.

Several stone bridges crossed the river as it wound through the valley and, in the north, a long line of brickwork arches stretched from the hills into the town. It was the camp aqueduct. About two hundred yards away from where they'd emerged from the tunnel, just across the river, was the military encampment. It was about a quarter mile square, with earthen ramparts on all four sides, the tops lined with sharpened spikes. Outside the walls ran a dry moat, also studded with extremely sharp spikes. Wooden watchtowers rose at each corner, manned by sentries with oversized mounted crossbows. Purple banners hung from the towers. A wide gateway opened on the far side of camp, leading towards the city. A narrower gate stood closed on the riverbank side. Inside, the fortress bustled with activity: dozens of kids going to and from barracks, carrying weapons, polishing armor. It was common to hear the clank of hammers at a forge and smell meat cooking over a fire. It wasn't Camp Half-Blood, but it was home. Percy looked nearly half-dead as he took in the sight, Cas wished he had the time to really enjoy it. But the seventeen year old could already hear the cries of the Gorgons behind them.

To Caspian's immense relief, Hazel and Frank emerged close behind them. Neither looked to be badly injured, Hazel had lost her plume and was covered in cave dust while Frank was missing a trainer and had a shallow cut above his left eyebrow. Still, they were both alive. Thank the gods that they were both alive. Caspian had to resist the urge to hug both of them, considering his arms were full of his sixteen year old Dad and an old lady goddess. Hazel spoke quickly, gazing behind her as if she was scared the Gorgons were going to appear with only a second's notice. She was still panting as if she and Frank had run the entire way, which they probably had.

"We slowed them down, but they'll be here any second! We have to get across the river!"

Frank nodded and Caspian moved forwards to allow Frank to take Percy's weight and the weight of the old woman. Cas tightened his grip on his sword as he looked at Hazel. "Sis, it's my turn to hold off the baddies. You and Frank get Percy into camp so that the sentries don’t shoot him. Don't you dare stop for anything!"

"Cas..."

"Haze, Listen to me. Please." Caspian whispered, both nicknames seemed to reassure her and she nodded. He always called her his sister, even though technically she was his Aunt, it was just easier that way. Less people would question it. He turned around to run at the gorgons while Hazel hurried to Frank and together they helped to get Percy and the old lady across the river. Cas was screaming at the top of his lungs as he charged, swinging his blade like a madman. He imagined that he was in the Camp Half-Blood arena, fighting with his Dad again. He could almost heard the son of Poseidon's voice, 'You can do it, Cassie...you can do it!'. Blood spattered everywhere when Cas landed a hit on the monsters, the witches screeched in pain but the seventeen year old didn't care. He was protecting his family. Up on the watchtowers, horns blew. The sentries shouted and swivelled their crossbows towards the gorgons. But Caspian didn't pay any mind to the arrows that whizzed past him. It almost seemed as if he were keeping the monsters at bay, but his concentration slipped for only a moment. He turned back to make sure that Hazel and Frank had gotten Percy across the river. Sadly, that single moment of lapsed concentration was enough of an opening that the Gorgons needed. One of them ripped her talons across Caspian's chest. Black spots exploded across his vision as his blood gushed from the jagged wounds.

For a second it felt as though he were dying again. He could taste the rusted tang of blood in his mouth and felt it oozing down his chin as he collapsed to his hands and knees, shaking and too far away from the water to call upon the limited healing powers he actually had. The Gorgons screeched above him, circling like vultures. They knew he was finished.

"CASPIAN!"

He heard Hazel scream, but it was almost like his head was spinning, as if he were going through an endless tunnel. Hazel felt so far away, but the river was so close by. He hadn't even realized that he'd closed his eyes, until he opened them again and realized he wasn't on the ground anymore. One of the Gorgons had sunk her chicken-feet talons into his shoulders and lifted him from the ground like a hawk carrying it's dead prey. The seventeen year old struggled sluggishly, his ears were ringing and his heart was pounding against his chest. Everything swam around him in a sort of red haze. But he was watching as Percy waded into the river again, creating whirlpools beneath him. Giant watery hands erupted from the stream, copying Percy's movements. The giant hands grabbed at the gorgons, who screeched in pain and dropped Cas. The boy plummeted like a bloody stone into the water below. The water all around him turned rust-colored and his eyes burned. The liquid around him was icy cold, much swifter than he’d imagined, but that didn’t bother him. New strength surged through his limbs. His senses tingled like he’d been injected with caffeine. But he felt sick and dizzy still. The water didn't heal him fully like it would his Dad, instead it just made him feel better and sealed the wounds so he wouldn't lose so much blood. It was better than nothing though.  

Calloused yet gentle hands wrapped around his biceps and helped his head break the water. He sputtered and gasped, blood mixed with river water spewed from his mouth as he coughed. Through his hazy eyes, he could see that it was Percy who was supporting him. The younger teen was holding Riptide and had it raised still, even though the Gorgons were long gone. It looked like everyone in the camp had come out to stare at them. Percy and Cas just stared right back, until the old lady spoke, surprising all of them.

"Well, that was a lovely trip. Thank you, Percy Jackson, for bringing me to Camp Jupiter."

"Percy....Jackson?"

Reyna made a choking noise from where she stood on the grass. But Cas didn't think too much into it. He was too exhausted and shaking. His clothes were still stained with blood and his wounds were bleeding sluggishly, most of them had stopped, but the biggest wounds were still slightly weeping. He needed bandages or something. Then, just because the day hadn’t been weird enough already, the old lady began to glow and change form. She grew until she was a shining seven-foot-tall goddess in a blue dress, with a cloak that looked like goat’s skin over her shoulders. Her face was stern and stately. In her hand was a staff topped with a lotus flower. Damn, Juno. Reyna knelt, just like every other camper before them. One kid got down so hastily he almost impaled himself on his sword. Frank and Hazel knelt as well, leaving Percy and Caspian still standing. Percy spoke in a tone that most would call disrespectful as he looked scornfully at the goddess.

"Juno, huh? If I passed your test, can I have my memory and my life back?" But the bitch, being the bitch she was, had to answer in a whole different fucking riddle. Gods almighty, Caspian's head was spinning and his chest was throbbing. He didn't have time for all these quests and problems. "In time, Percy Jackson, if you succeed here at camp. You’ve done well today, which is a good start. Perhaps there’s hope for you yet." Juno crowed and Caspian's hand tightened around the bloody hilt of his sword. Before he began to wave it around like a damned party favor.

"What the hell lady!? This guy just saved your ass, he deserves something from that...don't you think?"

Caspian slurred, the rational part of his head still floating somewhere away from his body. Percy, Hazel, Frank and the rest of the campers looked at him in something akin to surprise, while Juno and Reyna just looked flat-out annoyed. The goddess scowled and pointed towards Caspian with one of her glowing fingers.

"Ah, little Caspian, demigod son, born of two demigods. Child Out of Time. I wouldn't be so quick to fight, child. By the time this war is over, all the rivers in Greece and Rome will run red with your blood."

That statement left a dizzy Cas reeling. Then Juno's finger moved from Caspian to Percy, who was just staring at her blankly. "Romans, I present to you the son of Neptune. For months he has been slumbering, but now he is awake. His fate is in your hands. The Feast of Fortune comes quickly, and Death must be unleashed if you are to stand any hope in the battle. Do not fail me!" After announcing those two grim prophecies, the goddess shimmered and disappeared. Leaving nothing but havoc in her wake. A confused Percy looked at Hazel and Frank for some kind of explanation, but they seemed just as confused as he was. Frank was holding something that Caspian hadn’t noticed before...two strange small clay flasks with cork stoppers, like potions, one in each hand. Cas had no idea where they’d come from, but he saw Frank slip them into his pockets. The seventeen year old was too shocked and exhausted to deal with anything else. Suddenly he felt oddly cold and warm at the same time, just his knees buckled underneath him. Frank's eyes widened and he lunged forwards but he was too far away.

"Percy! He's going too...!"

Cas never heard the end of his sentence, the seventeen year old's eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed to the sound of his Dad's voice in his ears.

' _You're okay, Cassie. You're okay.'_


	2. The Things Left Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Young Nico meets amnesiac young Percy. :)

“ _In the space between yes and no, there's a lifetime. It's the difference between the path you walk and the one you leave behind; it's the gap between who you thought you could be and who you really are; its the legroom for the lies you'll tell yourself in the future_.”―Jodi Picoult

 

When Caspian woke up, he was surrounded by ghosts.

No, he wasn't back in the Fields of Asphodel. Gods, he'd had enough of that place to last a lifetime. Nope, he was actually in the med cabin at camp. It just happened that at least half the people in camp were dead. Shimmering purple warriors stood outside the armory, polishing ethereal swords. Others hung out in front of the barracks. A ghostly boy chased a ghostly dog down the street. And at the stables a big glowing red dude with the head of a wolf guarded a herd of unicorns. It also happened that most of the camp's medical personnel were ghosts, or Lares as they liked to be called. They were Rome's ancestral spirits. But most of their medical experience involved giving out nectar and ambrosia like candy and hoping that nobody burned up on their watch. Caspian usually avoided the godly food like the plague. Other demi-gods would say that it was amazing, but Cas hated it. The stuff always tasted like the traditional Italian food his Babbo used to make. It made tears bubble in his eyes and made it harder to stifle the overwhelming urge to bawl like a baby. Gods, he missed his Dads something terrible. He'd tried to avoid the nectar that the Lares thrust at him, but when his barely sealed wounds almost reopened. Suffice to say that they wouldn't take no for an answer anymore. They would call him 'Graecus' in a long-suffering tone of voice as they forced him to drink the nectar. Totally unfair, but he was exhausted and didn't struggle. Graecus was the Latin word for Greek. Great, even the Lares could see right through him.

So once again, he wasn't surprised when he woke up surrounded by ghosts. He was actually more surprised by the banana-nut muffin and coffee that were thrust in his face, as soon as he managed to sit up. By very worried-looking Hazel and a concerned Percy. It smelled heavenly so Cas didn't complain as he practically inhaled the proffered muffin and guzzled the coffee like it was the only thing he'd had to drink in the last fifty years. Mostly because he wanted to get the familiar taste of the nectar out of his mouth. He knew without a doubt that it was Bombilo the two-headed coffee merchant who'd they'd gotten the items from. Said monster made the best muffins and coffee in all of camp. Apparently Hazel and Percy had been on their way to see Octavian when they stopped by to get Cas. Reyna had insisted upon them seeing the augur so that Percy could properly join the legion. Caspian raised an eyebrow at the espresso that Percy was nursing and the cherry muffin that Hazel was nibbling on thoughtfully.

Great, he ranked below coffee and muffins.

The seventeen year old demigod tossed back his head and swallowed the last dregs of his coffee, before tossing the cup away and moving to stand up. It was only then that he was aware of the vibrant blush that colored Hazel's cheeks and the way Percy's eyes avoided looking at the older teen too closely. Caspian just stared at the younger two in confusion, until he looked down and realized why. He wasn't wearing a shirt....or any pants. Mercifully the Lares had left his boxers where they belonged. But when he saw what pair of boxers they were, he blanched. He hadn't been paying attention when he put them on that morning, now as he sat in them as his Aunt and sixteen year old Dad stared at him, he wished that he had. They were bright florescent orange with 'Hot Stuff' printed in bold red lettering across the ass. Of course they were. He was wearing nothing but his ratty socks, his florescent boxers and the thin layer of bandages that the Lares had wrapped around his sealed up chest wounds. Oh yay. Why the hell had they taken his pants? Where the hell had they taken his pants? Who the hell had taken his pants? All questions that remained unanswered. Cas looked at Hazel with sea-green bleary eyes, before speaking in a halting, childish and frank tone of voice.

"They took my pants. Why did they take my pants? Haze, can you find me some pants?"

The cinnamon-haired girl was quick to oblige and hurried to find some helpful Lares, as Percy and Caspian just stared at each other awkwardly. Well, what was he supposed to say? It's not like he could be all, 'Hey, nice to meet you! I'm your dead kid from the future, name's Cas.' Yeah, he was pretty sure that one wouldn't boil over well. Especially not when Percy looked really exhausted and just about half-dead. Obviously, weeks of being chased by Gorgons non-stop had taken it's toll. He looked like he was in desperate need of some good food, a shower, some sleep and a change of clothes. All things that Cas was also in need of. Because Gods on Olympus, there was nothing like a Roman bath. Caspian knew that Percy would enjoy it. The teenager was kind of staring at his feet awkwardly, gently rocking back on his heels as he tried to avoid staring creepily at Cas. The seventeen year old could clearly see the resemblance between his Dad and the younger Percy in front of him.

But the Percy before him, didn't have the same thick scar over his right eyebrow or the light laugh lines around his mouth that Caspian's Dad was famous for. The Percy in front of him looked so young, so unsure. Cas never thought he'd see that expression on his strong, levelheaded Dad's face. The man Caspian had known had never been unsure. He'd always had a plan for every occasion. Apparently the man he knew, wouldn't appear for several more years yet. The seventeen year old swallowed hard before he spoke, wanting to end the dragging silence. "So...I never really got to introduce myself before you saved my ass, I'm Caspian Snow. But most people just call me Cas."

"I'm Percy Jackson. But I guess Hera, I mean Juno, told you that already."

Caspian would've said something more, but whatever he was going to say was cut off when a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt were sent hurtling at him at breakneck speed. It was only by the grace of the Gods that his sluggish hands managed to grab the articles of clothing before they collided with his face. It was courtesy of Hazel and her annoyance of the Lares. But Cas wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, he just hurriedly lurched to his feet in order to put on the clothes. Then, because his body enjoyed fucking with him, his legs partially gave out underneath him. Percy was fast though, and he caught the older teen before Cas' bent knees could become oh so acquainted with the floor. It was like Caspian's clumsy childhood all over again. Except he wasn't a five year old tripping over his father's sword anymore, he was a dead seventeen year old guy being caught by his sixteen year old father. As weird as that sounded, it made his chest throb painfully and it wasn't from the wounds either. Percy held onto him until he was sure that Cas wasn't going to fall on his face anytime soon, then he let go and allowed the teen to shrug on his clothes. After Cas was decent, Percy slung an arm over his shoulders and helped the older teen out of the med cabin, Hazel in tow.

They walked for what felt like an agonizing forever, until they came to the main gates. The fort was situated on the highest point in the valley, so that they could see pretty much everything. The road led down to the river and divided. One path led south across a cobblestone bridge, up to the hill with all the temples. The other road led north into the city, a miniature version of Ancient Rome. Unlike the military camp, the city looked chaotic and colorful, with buildings crowded together at haphazard angles. Even from this far away, The trio could see people gathered in the plaza, shoppers milling around an open-air market, even parents with happy kids playing in the parks.

"There are families here?"

Percy just sounded so shocked as he looked at Cas and Hazel. It was as if he couldn't wrap his mind around it. There were adult demigods. Adult demigods who could live without fear. Adult demigods that could get married and raise a family. It seemed too good to be true. But what if the valley was attacked? What if monsters passed the borders? It just didn't make any sense. He couldn't see himself ever growing old enough to be a father, he imagined he wouldn't be too great at it. He imagined never being able to have a family, while his own dead son was less than two feet away from him. Oh irony, thou art a cruel bitch. Hazel didn't seem to understand the implications of what Percy was saying, so she just answered his question like she would any other. Not realizing how Cas stiffened and his face darkened.

"In the city, absolutely. When you’re accepted into the legion, you have to do ten years of service. After that, you can basically muster out whenever you want. Most demigods go into the mortal world. But for some...well, it’s pretty dangerous out there. This valley is a sanctuary. You can go to college in the city. Then get married, have kids and retire when you get old. It’s pretty much the only safe place on earth for people like us. So, yeah, a lot of legion veterans make their homes in the city, under the protection of the legion they once fought for." 

Just as Percy was going to say something else, maybe something about how incredible it still seemed. It was interrupted by someone shouting, "Make way!", behind them. Hazel and Cas to a lesser extent, shoved Percy out of the road as a demigod rode past them on a fully grown pachyderm covered in black Kevlar armor. The word 'ELEPHANT' was printed on the side of his armor, which seemed a little obvious to the trio. The elephant in question, thundered down the road and turned north, clearly heading towards a big open field where some fortifications of the barracks were under construction. The trio spent the next several minutes, spitting dirt out of their mouths and brushing the worst of it off of their clothes. Before anyone could stay anything, Cas caught sight of the sky in the distance. Dark clouds were gathering over Temple Hill and heavy red flashes of lightning washed the monuments in blood-coloured light. "Haze, Percy, we'd better hurry. It looks like Octavian's busy." They both nodded and the trio just kept on walking. On the way, they passed some weird goat-legged guys hanging out on the side of the road. One of them yelled for Hazel and trotted over with a big grin on his face. He wore a faded Hawaiian shirt and nothing for pants except thick brown goat fur. His massive Afro practically jiggled. His eyes were hidden behind little round rainbow-tinted hippie glasses and he held a cardboard sign that read: 'WILL GO AWAY FOR DENARII.' Hazel's face turned both annoyed and apologetic as she turned to the faun in question.

"Hi, Don. Sorry, but we don’t have time for..."

"Oh, that’s cool! That’s cool! Hey, this guy’s new! Do you have three denarii for the bus? Because I left my wallet at home, and I’ve got to get to work, and..."

"Don! Fauns don't have wallets. Or jobs. Or homes. And we don't have buses." Hazel chided as the faun tried to wheedle some money out of Percy, just because he thought the younger teen was stupid or gullible. They left Don the Faun behind as quick as they could, not wanting to be mean, but just that all the begging could get kind of old. Unconsciously, Caspian's hand crept to his pocket and was surprised when he felt the outline of his Babbo's old Mythomagic cards. Had Hazel gotten his old pants for him? He checked the pants for blood stains, but their weren't any. Had Hazel moved them for him? He wanted to ask, but he also didn't want too. Not in front of Percy, not when they were all shabby and covered in his blood, not when they meant so much and yet so little. They walked in uneasy silence the rest of the way to Temple Hill. A crooked stone path led past a crazy assortment of tiny altars and massive domed vaults. Statues of gods seemed to follow Percy with their eyes. Hazel pointed out the Temple of Bellona. "Goddess of war." she said. "That’s Reyna’s mom." Then they passed a massive red crypt decorated with human skulls on iron spikes.

"That’s the Temple of Mars Ultor. Ultor means 'the Avenger'. He’s the second-most important god of Rome."

Percy wasn’t thrilled to hear that. For some reason, just looking at the ugly red building made him feel angry. Caspian shared the sentiment. Percy pointed towards the summit. Foreboding clouds swirled over the largest temple, a round pavilion with a ring of white columns supporting a domed roof. "I'm guessing that’s Zeus...uh, I mean, Jupiter’s? That’s where we’re heading?" Percy asked and Cas just raised an eyebrow as Hazel answered. "Yeah." Hazel sounded pretty edgy. "Octavian reads auguries there, it's called the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus." Percy had to think about it, but Caspian saw it on his face when the Latin words clicked into English. "Jupiter...the best and the greatest?" The son of the sea-god asked and Cas nodded.

"What’s Neptune’s title? The coolest and most awesome?"

"Not quite." Caspian motioned towards a rather small blue building the size of a toolshed. A cobweb-covered trident was nailed above the door. Cas watched with a heavy heart as Percy peeked inside. On a small altar sat a bowl with three dried-up, mouldy apples, placed there by Cas himself a while ago. It was one of the few times he'd actually come inside. Percy's face fell almost instantly and Cas looked at him empathically. He'd had the same reaction when he'd first entered. The tiny shack was lonely and deserted. The Romans may have feared Neptune, but they didn't love him. Cas could practically hear what Percy was thinking. That even if he joined the camp, he would never be loved. His best hope was to be scary to his new camp mates. Maybe if he did really well they’d give him some mouldy apples. Still, with the both of them standing at Neptune’s altar, Cas felt something stirring inside him, kind of like waves rippling through his veins. Waves rippling through time.

"I’m sorry, Percy. It’s just that Romans were always scared of the sea. They only used ships if they had too. Even in modern times, having a child of Neptune around has always been a bad omen. They mean bad luck. That's why people don't like Cas very much, being a grandson of Neptune after all."

Hazel explained and Percy's head to turned Caspian, confusion turning into comprehension. That Cas was a grandson of Neptune and they shared the same bloodline. But then Percy remembered how Caspian had called Hazel 'Sis'. Before he could even ask the question, Cas was explaining. "Yeah. One of my parents was a child of Neptune, the other was a child of Pluto. The two most hated gods in the camp." Caspian gave a harsh laugh as Percy looked from him to Hazel and back. Then the sixteen year old demigod reached in his backpack and dug out the last bit of food from his trip... a stale bagel. It wasn’t much, but he still set it on the altar. Caspian dug his own hand in his pocket and pulled out a handful of peppermints and a stick of Wrigley's double mint gum. He set his own handful on the altar as well and slung a comforting arm over Percy's shoulder as the younger demigod began to talk to the altar.

"Hey ... uh, Dad. If you can hear me, help me out, okay? Give me my memory back. Tell me... tell me what to do."

Percy's voice cracked mid-sentence. He hadn't meant to get emotional, but he was exhausted and scared, and he’d been lost for so long that he would’ve given anything for some guidance. He just wanted to know something about his life for sure, something about who he'd been, without grabbing uselessly for missing memories. Caspian added in his own two-bits, trying not to sound stupid while talking to the altar like it was a person. "Hey Gramps. Can you help Percy out, please? You know...if you can hear us." Above them, thunder rumbled and vivid red lightning, lit up the hill.

"Octavian’s almost done. Let's go."

- _ **TimeSkip**_ -

Compared to Neptune’s toolshed, Jupiter’s temple was definitely optimus and maximus. The marble floor was etched with fancy mosaics and Latin inscriptions. Sixty feet above, the domed ceiling sparkled gold. The whole temple was open to the wind. In the centre stood a marble altar, where a familiar looking skinny kid in a toga was doing some sort of ritual in front of a massive golden statue of the big dude himself: Jupiter the sky god, dressed in a silk XXXL purple toga, holding a lightning bolt. The skinny kid at the altar raised his hands. More red lightning flashed in the sky, shaking the temple. Then he put his hands down, and the rumbling stopped. The clouds turned from grey to white and broke apart. A pretty impressive trick, considering the kid didn’t look like much. He was tall and skinny, with straw-colored hair, oversized jeans, a baggy T-shirt and a drooping toga. He looked like a scarecrow wearing a bedsheet. Octavian. The guy who's life that Cas had saved from 'DBU' death-by-unicorn. He had a crooked smile and a slightly crazy look in his eyes, like he’d just been playing an intense video game. In one hand he held a knife. In the other hand was something like a dead animal. Which didn’t make him look any less crazy. Definitely Octavian. The skinny guy yelled rather loudly the moment the trio came into view.

"The graecus! How interesting."

"Uh...hi. Are you killing small animals?"

Octavian looked at the fuzzy thing in his hand and laughed. "No, no. Once upon a time, yes. We used to read the will of the gods by examining animal guts...chickens, goats, that sort of thing. Nowadays, we use these." He tossed the fuzzy thing to Percy. Cas could see that it was a disembowelled teddy bear. Then they noticed that there was a whole pile of mutilated stuffed animals at the foot of Jupiter’s statue. Octavian quickly stepped off the dais. He was eighteen, but so skinny and sickly pale, he could’ve passed for younger. At first he looked harmless, but as he got closer it was clear that Percy wasn’t so sure. Octavian’s eyes glittered with harsh curiosity, like he might gut anybody just as easily as a teddy bear if he thought he could learn something from it. When he asked them what had happened, it was Hazel who spoke for Percy. She told Octavian everything that had happened since they met at the tunnel...the gorgons, the fight at the river and Caspian's injuries, the appearance of Juno, their conversation with Reyna. When she mentioned Juno, Octavian looked surprised.

"Juno. We call her Juno Moneta. Juno the Warner. She appears in times of crisis, to counsel Rome about great threats."

He glanced at Percy, as if to say: like mysterious Greeks, for instance. But with one look from Cas, Octavian shut his mouth with a clap. Nobody was going to cut Percy down while Caspian was around. Hazel just glared at the skinny asshole. "Just read the augury for Percy. Can he join the legion or not?" They could almost see Octavian’s mind working, calculating whether or not Percy would be useful. He held out his hand for Percy’s backpack. "That’s a beautiful specimen. May I?" Before they could understand what he meant, Octavian snatched up the Bargain Mart panda pillow that was sticking out of the top of Percy's pack. Octavian slashed open the panda’s belly and poured its stuffing over the altar. He then tossed the panda carcass aside, muttered a few words over the pile of fluff, and turned around with a big smile on his face.

"Good news! Percy may join the legion. We’ll assign him a cohort at evening muster. Tell Reyna that I approve. Excellent. Oh and by the way, Hazel your brother is here."

"My brother? Why?"

"Why does your brother do anything? He’s waiting for you at your father’s shrine. Just ... ah, don’t invite him to stay too long. He has a disturbing effect on the others. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to keep searching for our poor lost friend, Jason. Nice to meet you, Percy."

Hazel stormed out of the pavilion, and Percy followed with Cas in tow. He was sure he’d never been so glad to leave a temple in his life. Octavian was a major asshole. As Hazel marched down the hill, she cursed in Latin. Percy didn’t understand all of it and neither did Caspian, but he got ' _son of a gorgon', 'power-hungry snake_ ', and a few choice suggestions about where Octavian could stick his knife. Cas wanted to practically hug her in glee. "Come on, let's go see our brother. He'll want to meet Percy." Caspian nodded and Percy didn't argue. It was clear that he wanted to meet their mysterious brother. Or maybe he just wanted to learn something about Hazel and Caspian's background. Like how they shared the same bloodline but looked nothing alike. Hazel and Cas led Percy to a black crypt built into the side of the hill. Standing in front was a teenage boy in black jeans and an aviator jacket. His Babbo. Well, not his Babbo yet. There were still a good many years to go and this boy looked too pale and sick to really be his Babbo. When he turned around so Percy could get a good look at his face, Cas saw his sixteen year old Dad visibly freeze. Nico did the exact same thing, but he hid his better. But for a few choice seconds, the boy had seemed shocked...panicked even, like he’d been caught in a searchlight. Hazel seemed to be obvious to it though and she was the one to introduce them.

"This is Percy Jackson. He’s a good guy. Percy, this is my brother, the son of Pluto."

The boy who would become his Babbo, regained his composure for the moment and held out a shaking hand.

"Pleased to meet you. I'm Nico di Angelo."

 

 

 


	3. To Lose Someone You Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas gets bonked on the head and almost dies as a kid.

_“'You'll get over it…' It's the clichés that cause the trouble. To lose someone you love is to alter your life for ever. You don't get over it because ‘it” is the person you loved. The pain stops, there are new people, but the gap never closes. How could it? The particularness of someone who mattered enough to grieve over is not made anodyne by death. This hole in my heart is in the shape of you and no-one else can fit it. Why would I want them to?”   ― Jeanette Winterson_

 

Cas didn't realize just how much it would hurt.

He'd experienced loss and grief before, a demigod's life was never free from either. But in one fell swoop, he'd lost his everything. His Dad, his Babbo, his Aunts and Uncles, even his own life. Then as he stood there, watching his younger parents interact like two nuclear bombs, he had no idea what to think. Part of him, the childlike part that wanted his Daddies, wanted nothing more than to embrace both of them tearfully and never let go. Another stronger part of him wanted to wait and see which bomb exploded first. Then the last part of him, wanted nothing more than to die. To slip into the mindless oblivion of the Fields of Asphodel again. Anything would be better than this torture. Imagine losing the most important things in your life, then getting them back. Only they don't love you the way you still love them, they don't remember all the things you did together, they aren't the people you had come to love before. Some parts are the same, so it hurts like a wound is being reopened. But they aren't the same, they can never fit back into the gap their loss had left behind. Caspian stared with pain-filled eyes at his parents that weren't yet his parents. Standing beside his Aunt who wasn't yet his Aunt. Gods, he'd never asked for this, for a second chance. He would've rather stayed in the Fields to rot, at least that way he wouldn't have to risk losing his family all over again.

The seventeen year old was unspeakably glad that Nico and Percy were so invested in studying each one another and that Hazel was busy watching them. So that they didn't see the bitter tears that bubbled traitorously in his sea-green eyes. The teen scrubbed them away silently with a scowl. Crying wouldn't solve anything. It wouldn't bring him back to his own time and it wouldn't fix the mess that he was about to get wrapped up in.

Hazel on the other hand, was looking between the two Big-Three demigods with undisguised awe and fear, as if she wanted nothing more than to bolt out of there as fast as she could. Cas understood the feeling, it wasn't as if terms between his not-yet fathers had been too cool in the past, and it showed clearly on their faces. From what the seventeen year old understood, Hazel had been told long ago that a descendent of Neptune would save her. That was why, after they'd arrived at camp, that she'd looked at Cas like he was supposed to be her messiah. Then when Percy showed up, she seemed to get even more confused. His Aunt Hazel had never liked to talk about her past when Caspian was a kid, but after several years he got the basic gist of it. There was no way that he could be her savior. Not when it had always been Uncle Frank. It was part of the reason she fell in love with him. Uncle Leo had come along later on and from what his Aunt Hazel and Uncle Frank had always told him, apparently the fire-wielder had just completed them. It was after those kinds of statements that Uncle Leo would make a joke or laugh off whatever they said, but Cas could always see how much those little statements made his Uncle's day.

"I know you..."

Cas' attention turned back to his sixteen year old father as the raven-haired youth scowled and spoke. Nico seemed taken aback by the statement as well, but he hid it better than most. Still, after being raised by the two men in front of him, he was known to be able to read their emotions pretty well. Nico was obviously trying hard to act casual, but when he had first seen Percy, Caspian had noticed his momentary look of sheer panic. Nico knew Percy, but he didn't want to reveal such information. That was clear enough. The awkward silence between the four of them was palpable. So Hazel clearly forced herself to speak, looking between Percy and Nico uneasily.

"Um ... Percy’s lost his memory. He kind of came hurtling through the camp gates with Hera in his arms, then she gave us a prophecy about some bad stuff like an army coming back. So and uh Nico, I thought since you know...you travel all over. Maybe you’ve met demigods like Percy before, or?"

At Hazel's statement, Nico's face seemed to darken immeasurably like the pits of Tartarus. He didn't speak for a while even though his expression clearly said, 'Drop it.' He then softly began to talk about Gaia, Mother Earth, the oldest goddess of them all. And about how she was entombed in a deep sleep most of the time, but that she hated the gods and all their children with a vengeance. It could all be traced back to the time when the bitch convinced her son, the Titan Kronos or Saturn in Roman mythology, to kill his own father Uranus, and take over the world. The Titans then ruled for a very long time. At least until the Titans' children, the Olympian gods, overthrew them and took Olympus for themselves. She was supposedly still pretty bitter about the whole thing. After her own children were killed, she married a second husband, Tartarus the spirit of the abyss and bore him a race of bloodthirsty giant children. The giants then tried to destroy Mount Olympus, but the gods beat them back. But in the year prior, Saturn tried to make a comeback. There was a second Titan war. The Romans at Camp Jupiter stormed his headquarters on Mount Othrys, across the bay, and destroyed his throne. Saturn disappeared, probably fading back into the abyss. Only his reawakened called Gaia forth as well. Which was not good, definitely not good at all. Poor Percy looked aghast at what Nico was saying and he spoke in a thin, but strangely tremor-less voice.

"You've told Reyna about this?"

"Of course! The Romans just don't trust me. That's why I was hoping she'd listen to you. Children of Pluto...well, no offence, but they think we're even worse than children of Neptune. We're bad luck. Even Cas seems to have the same shitty bad luck, despite the blood of Neptune being in him as well."

Gods, Cas always hated when the conversation turned back to him. The seventeen year old shifted awkwardly, itching under his shirt at the bandages that the Lares had insisted on wrapping around his chest. The last thing he'd expected was for Nico eyes to follow his hand and see the peeking white bandages under his shirt. The son of Death practically glowered at him, it was a bitchface that he'd perfected by the time Cas was a kid. But before Nico could say anything about Cas' clumsiness and all around ability to injure himself in the stupidest of situations, Frank was running towards them. The younger demigod was wearing his jeans, purple camp shirt and denim jacket. His hands were stained and covered with grease from cleaning weapons. Even before he fully reached them, Frank was calling out to them at the top of his voice. "Hey Nico! Reyna sent me to get Percy! Did Octavian accept you?" Percy shrugged and said the first thing that popped into his mind, something that made Cas snort in mirth. Even though Frank seemed confused for a moment before it clicked in his mind.

"Yeah. He slaughtered my panda."

"He....Oh. The augury? Yeah, teddy bears must have nightmares about that guy. But you’re in! We need to get you cleaned up before evening muster."

Frank wasn't lying, Percy looked like crap. Not just figuratively either. With a jolt, Cas realized that the sun was getting low over the hills. How had the day gone so fast? Either way, he just shrugged and tucked his hands into his pockets, one hand curling instinctively around his Babbo's old deck of Mythomagic cards. He'd been doing the gesture so often as if late that he was waiting for the imprint of his fingers to mold into the edges of the familiar plastic. It always calmed him down without fail. Cas could already feel the prickling stares of the other campers, the son of Neptune and the son of Pluto arriving on the same day and joining up with the grandson of both Neptune and Pluto. All they needed was some black cats and broken mirrors and they'd be golden. Nico seemed to shift ever closer to Hazel and Caspian caught the silent message as clear as day. He needed to be alone with Hazel, like bad, especially if he needed Cas' help to get Frank and Percy away.

"Hey guys, no offense Percy but you smell like gorgon ass. Let's go get cleaned up before evening muster and the war games."

Cas led his future Uncle and sixteen year old father off to the baths, while his not-yet Babbo and Aunt Hazel watched with strangely guarded eyes. The seventeen year old couldn't help but feel uneasy and kept looking back at them. That was why he didn't see what was in front of him until it was too late. He knew about Hazel's dark gift, he'd seen it in action multiple times, he just always forgot to watch where he was going. And then there was the fact that he was as clumsy as a sin, it was almost a disability. Gods almighty, if there was a battle...Cas got hurt. If there was a rock in his path...Cas tripped on it, if there was a trip wire... Cas ran right through it. He was a danger magnet, he always had been. That was why he was less than surprised when he tripped over a ruby the size of his foot and full on head-butted an immense bar of gold that was sticking out of the ground at just the right angle. He saw stars and bursts of light, and could only blink stupidly before he finally lost consciousness.

-TimeSkip-

Of all the things he could have remembered while his head had been maimed by a bar of cursed gold, another near-death experience as a kid, wasn't exactly in the top ten.

Cas was seven years old when he fell through the iced-over lake at Camp Half-Blood.

Not exactly one of his finer moments, but he'd been curious. It had been the first time he'd been at Camp Half-Blood during the winter and he'd wanted nothing more than to study the frost patterns that had adorned the surface of the frozen lake. So he'd snuck out of his Dad's cabin while he and Cas's Babbo were asleep. It had been just the wee hours of the morning, the sun just barely peeking out over the horizon. He'd known that his fathers wouldn't have let him venture out onto the frozen lake by himself or even at all. But Caspian just had to see those frost patterns. So he'd shrugged on his coat and slipped on his boots before trudging out and into the heavy snowfall. Everything had been fine at first, near the edges of the lake, the ice had been blue, strong and sturdy. But the frost patterns near the edges were nowhere near as nice as the frost patterns near the middle, so the child had ventured on across the ice. Abandoning the sturdy blue ice near the edges, for tricky white and flimsy ice that clotted near the middle of the iced body of water. As the little boy stumbled precariously across the surface of the frozen lake, his Dad had become blearily aware of his son's absence in their cabin by sheer force of luck and conditioning.

Percy had yawned and scrubbed at his blurry eyes as he nudged at the Ghost King strewn haphazardly over his chest. As soon as he was even fractionally awake, Nico yawned as well and snuggled deeper into the warm body that was Percy. He mumbled something inaudible as Percy scanned the room for their little boy, clad in pirate pajamas as he usually was. But except for a few rucked up covers along with a missing coat and boots, their little boy was nowhere to be seen. The implications of that didn't quite settle upon Percy at first, but once they did, the young man was up like a bullet. Shrugging on pants and a coat without even a second's explanation. Nico had starkly felt the absence of his warm body pillow and had sat erect in their lower bunk, blinking stupidly as he tried to get his traitorous eyes to focus on the speedily moving form that was his Percy. As soon as the Ghost King could articulate something, he was trying to get an explanation out of his husband who seemed to be trying to put on both his boots and socks at the same time.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Cas."

It was the only syllable that Percy forced out and it was definitely the only syllable that Nico cared about. Instantly the Italian man was searching the room for the little white coin of his child's face, covered with freckles and a brimming smile. But except for himself and Percy, the room was utterly empty. Oh Gods. Nico's eyes filled with only the immeasurable terror that a parent could understand in those few moments where they couldn't find their child. Nico was up on his own feet in an instant, the rational part of his mind told him that his pint-sized little boy was probably with Chiron or maybe one of the child's numerous Aunts and Uncles. He wasn't sure if Piper, Reyna or Jason were around, but Frank, Leo, Hazel and Annabeth undoubtably were. Nico threw on a pair of pants, a coat and some boots before he and his husband of nine years bolted out of Poseidon's cabin and out into the snowfall. It didn't take long to find their child, the lake was so near to the cabins. But the shock of seeing him so far out, far away from the thick blue ice and in the middle of the thin, clotted white ice. It had sent a new strike of fear through Nico's heart. It seemed to do the same with Percy's for the son of the sea-god had never looked more afraid, the last time Nico had seen that look was when the Ghost King himself had nearly died while trying to bring Caspian into the world.

"Cas! What are you doing out there?!"

Percy screamed and the little boy raised his head from where he'd been studying the frost patterns on the thin ice. A wide smile had blossomed across his face and he'd lifted his skinny arm to wave at his Dad and Babbo from their safe place on the snowy bank. He hadn't understood the way his Babbo was shaking like his legs were near to giving out or the way his Dad's voice was trembling.

"Hi Daddy! Hi Babbo! I'm looking at frost patterns, wanna come see?!"

"No, Mio Soldatino! Can you please come back here, for Daddy and Babbo?!"

Nico begged, yelling as loudly as he trusted himself to do. But the yelling had been enough to rouse Frank, Hazel and Leo from where they liked to bunk with Hazel in the Hades cabin and Annabeth wasn't far behind. Most of the Athena cabin following right after her. They didn't even need an explanation for what was going on as soon as they saw Caspian standing alone on thinning ice. Hazel's eyes were as wide as saucers and her shaking hands were covering her mouth. The same sentiment of blazing fear was obvious through all those who were watching the exchange. Cas furrowed his eyebrows and stomped lightly on the ice in his frustration, he'd really wanted to finish looking. But he didn't want his Daddies to be mad at him either, so he started to walk towards them. Still, the ice had been thin enough as it was and the stomping of a child was the last straw on the camel's back. As soon as Cas' booted foot touched down on the ice again, a loud crack vibrated through the air, clear as a bell. Nobody had anytime to do anything, Cas himself didn't even scream as he plunged into the icy waters below.

"NO!"

Percy roared, unspeakable terror shining in his eyes, and before anyone could stop him, the son of the sea-god was skidding across the fractured ice towards where he'd lost sight of his son. Nico dove forwards to bolt right after him, but a pair of strong arms wrapped around his middle and prevented him from doing so. Percy was the son of the sea-god, Cas was the grandson of the sea-god. They had a good chance of surviving in the frozen waters below. Nico did not. But that didn't stop him from screaming like a man possessed and struggling in a frenzy to get to his husband and son. Tears were burning on his cheeks and his own skinny arms lashed out numerous times but Frank's bulky arms held steady. Didn't he understand? If Nico lost his husband and son, drowning in the ice with them would have been a blessing.

Percy on the other hand was working like a well-oiled machine. The young man didn't waste breath with shouting for help, nobody could help him on the water. It was his domain. The son of the sea-god moved jerkily as he tried not to panic, fear battling with shock and threatening to unman him and send him tumbling into the ice right after his tiny son. He scanned the ice frantically, searching for a flash of color, the shine of his son's dark curls, the dark as pitch trench coat that had been a hammy-down from Nico or the worn out pirate pajamas he hated to take off. They had been a present for his little boy two or three birthdays prior. He just needed to find anything that would help him see where the icy current had stolen his child. Finally, once he reached the sight of the fractured ice hole. He dove right in, after his child. Nico was screaming for him on the bank and it was the last thing that Percy heard before the sound of rushing icy water dulled his senses. His husband had screamed, _"Salvare il nostro figlio, Percy! Per favore! Salvare lui, il mio mare!"_ Percy usually needed translation when Nico spoke in Italian but that scream he understood perfectly. 'Save our son, Percy! Please! Save him, my sea!'

Once in the freezing water, Percy couldn't see anything, and useless seconds ticked away while he tried to become accustomed to his hazy surroundings. Everything was so dark, but his limbs were screaming with adrenaline-pumped energy. He needed to find his son, he needed to save his son. Where was his son?! Suddenly a cold hand was grasping his, a young girl who seemed to be solely made of water was guiding him, he knew he was a water nymph but he was so fixated on saving his son that he didn't care. That was when he saw Cassie. His son was floating lifeless, eyes blank and at half-mast, mouth gaping as if in a silent scream. Percy kicked as hard as he could, the power of the water rushing through his shaky limbs as he wrapped his lightly muscled arms around the body of his stone cold son. He was kicking again then, trying desperately to hold onto his blue-lipped child, so pale and motionless that he was afraid the little boy was already gone. It took even more wasted minutes to find the opening where his son had fallen through, but when he did, they burst out like a geyser. Collapsing on the not fractured ice with undisguised relief. He hadn't managed to shoot them out all the way, but soon there were a dozen hands dragging out a tangle of soaked clothes, limp limbs and matted dark curls.

Percy was gasping, he was exhausted and freezing but he didn't care. He only had eyes for the tiny prone figure of his son. Laying motionless and silent on the ice. Nico had broken away from Frank and reached them in an instant, just like everybody else who crowded around them. Apparently most of the camp had been spurned from their cabins and they watched with horror-filled eyes as Percy began the tedious struggle of trying to bring life back into a pale dead face and blue lips. Percy didn't even realize the tears that poured unheeded down his cheeks, he was too invested on bringing life back to his son. He prayed to whatever Gods or Goddesses that would listen. He swore he'd do anything, just to have his son back. Nico was running his hands through Cassie's dark curls, whimpering under his breath in Italian as he always did when he was terrified.

" _Non il mio bambino, non il mio bambino! Non Bianca... Padre... non è il mio bambino!"_

Percy's mind decided then to helpfully translate for him, which only made him fight harder to bring Caspian back. 'Not my child, please not my little boy! No Bianca please... Father.... not my child!' Nico whimpered and Percy sighed with unabashed relief as Caspian's eyes flickered open and he began to cough and sputter, vomiting up frigid lake water and gasping as the pain from several broken ribs began to cut through the numbing coldness of his skin. He was still shaking so badly of cold like it was like a seizure. But when Leo hurried forwards and rested a burning hand on the little boy's chest and another on his forehead, the tiny child sighed with relief as he blinked up at his parents and other assorted family members. A goofy smile on his face. Then he began to speak in a hoarse voice.

"Daddy! Babbo! I was looking at frost patterns and they were so pretty! It was like looking at clouds and then when I was underneath the cold water, I saw a lady with a shiny bow and a long dark braid. She was talking in Italian and smiled at me. She was singing too, it was so pretty! It was the same lullaby you like to sing to me Babbo! And then Daddy saved me and... Daddy, why are you crying?"

It wasn't a lie, Percy was sobbing like a small child and most of the campers around them couldn't even remember a time prior when they'd seen the son of the sea-god cry. Some of even his oldest friends had never seen such a thing. And yet there it was right in front of them. Percy who had seen numerous battles and had been in times of the most unspeakable pain, had cried like a baby after seeing his own child nearly drown to death. The son of the sea-god hadn't answered, he'd just let the great hiccuping sobs shake his body like a leaf as he clung to his husband and son as if they were the only things anchoring him to the ground. It was only because of his parentage that Cas had survived so long in the frigid water, and both his parents were insanely grateful.

Years later when Percy would speak of that day, he would say that it had felt as though his world had ended. Like his heart had just ceased in it's beating. Because that's what Nico and Caspian were to him.

They were his heart.

-TimeSkip-

Caspian returned to the land of the conscious with a groan.

A fourteen year old Nico was bent over him with a dark flask of nectar from his aviator jacket in one hand and a scowl on his face. Great two idiotic injuries in one day, how could it get any worse? Percy and Frank were hovering nervously while Hazel was pillowing his head with her lap. So yeah, could totally get more embarrassing. He blanched and sat up with a second groan, his eyes flitting over to the cursed bar of gold that had done the damage. It was the size of a bread loaf, stamped with a serial number and the words U.S. TREASURY. Wow. So that wasn't entirely unexpected but still rather shocking. In the distance he could hear the horns blowing for the start of evening muster and winced. He wasn't too delighted to be late for that. The Fifth Cohort had the nicest centurions in camp. Still, even they would have to punish them if they were tardy. And Roman punishments were always harsh: scrubbing the streets with a toothbrush, cleaning the bull pens at the coliseum, getting sewn inside a sack full of angry weasels and dumped into the Little Tiber... so basically the options weren't great. He didn't wait a second longer and lurched to his feet, scrubbing at his eyes with a sigh.

"We should probably get to evening muster as I have no desire to be sewn into a sack of weasels."

Percy and Frank helped steady him before they all hurried to get to the muster. The cohorts would be starting roll call and Cas had no desire to miss that. Though the memories he'd recalled were still stuck in his head, rolling around over themselves. If his Dad had been that devastated after Cas' almost death, he was almost terrified as to how he reacted when Cas had seriously died. He suspected that it wouldn't have been too great. Gods almighty he was an ass for dying on his family the way he did. All he could hope was that his Dad hadn't done something stupid.

But he probably had.


	4. The Prophecy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A prophecy, a message, a god and murder. Oh my!

" _Fai la nanna principino,_ (Hush a bye, little prince), _Fai la nanna cuoricino,_ (Hush a bye, little heart), _Dormi bene nel lettino_ , (Sleep well in your cradle), _Chiudi gli occhi dormi tanto_ , (Close your eyes, sleep for a long time), _E vedrai tutto e’ un incanto_ , (And you will see that everything is enchanting). _Rosso, verde, azzurro e oro_ , (Red, green, blue and gold), _Son piu’ belli, mio tesoro_ , (Are more beautiful, my sweetheart), _Viola, arpa e mandolino_ , (Viola, harp and mandolin), _Tutto e’ suono per il mio bambino_ , (Everything is sound for my little baby boy). _Fai la nanna rosellina,_ (Hush a bye, little rose), _Fai la nanna bambolina_ , (Hush a bye, little doll), _Dormi bene nel lettino_ , (Sleep well in your cradle), _Fai la nanna principino_ , (Hush a bye, little prince.)" - _Ninnananna dei suoni e dei colori_ , (Lullaby of sounds and colors)

 

The first time Caspian saw the legion assemble, it was from his Dad's arms as a toddler.

He'd been so proud that his Aunt Reyna and Uncle Jason were the praetors and he'd whooped loudly as he clapped his little pudgy hands. His Dad was a centurion, just like Uncle Frank and Aunt Hazel. But even at camp as a seventeen year old, it was still an impressive sight. The first four cohorts, each forty kids strong, stood in rows in front of their barracks on either side of the Via Praetoria. The Fifth Cohort assembled at the very end, in front of the principia, since their barracks were tucked in the back corner of camp next to the stables and the latrines. Of course because they were the worst Cohort. Frank, Cas, Percy and Hazel, all had to run right down the middle of the legion to reach their place. The campers were all dressed for war. Their polished chain mail and greaves gleaming over purple T-shirts and jeans. Sword-and-skull designs decorated their helmets. Even their leather combat boots looked ferocious with their iron cleats, great for marching through mud or the blood of their enemies. In front of the legionnaires, like a line of giant dominoes, stood their red and gold shields, each the size of a disembodied refrigerator door. Every legionnaire carried a harpoonlike spear called a pilum, a gladius, a dagger and about a hundred pounds of other equipment. If you were out of shape when you came to the legion, you obviously didn't stay that way for long. Just walking around in your armor was a full-body workout.

Cas stood at attention stiffly, meeting Octavian's glare that was originally directed at Hazel. The skinny augur stood at the head of the First Cohort, looking smug in his plumed centurion's helmet with a dozen medals pinned onto his scrawny chest. Gods, he just oozed asshole. The Lares were actually the last ones to fall in. Their purple forms flickered as they jockeyed for their places. They had an annoying habit of standing halfway inside living people, so that the ranks looked like a blurry photograph, but finally the centurions got them all sorted out. Someone yelled for the colors and as a result, the standard-bearers stepped forward. They wore lion-skin capes and held heavy poles decorated with each cohort's emblems. The last to present his standard was Jacob, the legion's eagle bearer. He held a long pole with absolutely nothing on top but dead air. The job was supposed to be a big honor, but Jacob obviously hated it. Even though Reyna insisted on following tradition, every time the eagleless pole was raised, Caspian could feel embarrassment rippling through the legion. Or maybe it was rippling through himself.

"Romans! You’ve probably heard about the incursion today. Two gorgons were swept into the river by this newcomer, Percy Jackson. Juno herself guided him here, and proclaimed him a son of Neptune! He seeks to join the legion. What do the auguries say?"

"I have read the entrails! The auguries are favourable. He is qualified to serve!"

All of the campers gave the customary shout of "Ave! Hail!". But Frank was a little late with his 'ave', so it came out as a high-pitched echo. The other legionnaires snickered. Reyna then motioned the senior officers forward, one from each cohort. Octavian, as the most senior centurion, turned to Percy with a smug little smirk on his weasel face. "Recruit, do you have credentials? Letters of reference?" Octavian sneered and Caspian's fist twitched in it's desire to bury itself in the smug weasel-boy's face. Percy just shook his head, he didn't have any letters. Octavian wrinkled his nose. Unfair! Caspian wanted to shout. Percy had carried a goddess into camp! What better recommendation could you want? But Miss Priss Octavian's family had been sending kids to camp for over a century. He loved reminding recruits that they were less important than he was. At least where the legion was concerned. "No letters. Will any legionnaires stand for him?" Octavian asked in a bored voice and Frank had already jumped up before Cas could stop him.

"I will! He saved my life!"

"Frank Zhang, for the second time today, I remind you that you are on probatio. Your godly parent has not even claimed you yet. You’re not eligible to stand for another camper until you’ve earned your first stripe!"

Reyna snapped and Frank looked as if he were about to die of embarrassment. Cas couldn't leave him standing there stranded, Hazel seemed to be sharing the same sentiment. Hazel managed to get to her feet before Caspian with a yell, "What Frank means is that Percy saved both our lives. I am a full member of the legion. I will stand for Percy Jackson." Frank glanced at her gratefully, but the other campers started to mutter. Hazel was barely eligible. She'd only got her stripe a few weeks prior, and the ‘act of valor’ that earned it for her had been mostly an accident. Besides, she was a daughter of Pluto, and a member of the disgraced Fifth Cohort. She wasn't doing Percy much of a favour by giving him her support. With pleading eyes she turned to Cas. His own standing wasn't much better, maybe his bloodline was slightly better than hers and he'd saved Octavian instead of Dakota, but he was still a member of the disgraced Fifth Cohort. What the hell, it wasn't like there was anything left to lose. Caspian stepped in front of Hazel and Frank, as if shielding them, despite being painfully skinny and short.

"I, Caspian Snow as a full member of the legion, will stand for Percy Jackson!"

The campers were silent and Reyna was glaring at him with narrowed dark eyes. Frank and Hazel stared at him in something akin to relief, while Nico just stared. Cas seemed to stand there awkwardly for ages, before the other cohorts started coughing, trying not to laugh. Caspian knew what they were thinking: Another loser for the Fifth. Which wasn't entirely a lie. Frank pounded his shield against the ground. While the other members of the Fifth followed his lead, though they didn’t seem very excited. Their centurions, Dakota and Gwen, exchanged pained looks, like: here we go yet again. Reyna wrinkled her nose and Octavian looked like he'd just swallowed a raw lemon. The praetor then spoke, though she didn't seem overly happy about it. "Very well, Caspian Snow, you may stand for the recruit. Does your cohort accept him?" As a response to Reyna's question, Dakota sighed and looked around at the pained faces of his cohorts, before speaking with a moan.

"My cohort has spoken. We accept the recruit."

"Congratulations, Percy Jackson. You stand on probatio. You will be given a tablet with your name and cohort. In one year’s time, or as soon as you complete an act of valour, you will become a full member of the Twelfth Legion Fulminata. Serve Rome, obey the rules of the legion and defend the camp with honour. Senatus Populusque Romanus!"

Reyna bellowed, looking at Percy with pity. The entire camp echoed the cheer as Reyna wheeled her pegasus away from the son of Poseidon, almost like she was glad to be done with him. Cas wouldn't be surprised if she was. Before abandoning them, Reyna yelled something about the war games and dinner, but Caspian wasn't paying any attention. He was hurrying over to his sixteen year old father, along with his fourteen year old Babbo, Aunt and Uncle. The rest of cohorts broke ranks moments later and ran for the mess hall, as the five campers converged on one another. Cas noticed that of the guards had given Percy his probatio nameplate. Percy had strung it on his leather necklace with his Camp Half-Blood beads that he didn't know the meaning of. "Hey Cas, what does it mean you standing for me?"

"Just that I guarantee your good behavior. I teach you the rules, answer your questions and make sure you don’t disgrace the legion. And should you do something wrong, I get killed alongside you. Come on guys, let's go eat."

-TimeSkip-

After an uneventful dinner, Cas and the others marched off to the war games. The grandson of Poseidon replayed the rather frightening day in his mind. He couldn't believe how close he'd come to dying a second time. Like the first time wasn't good and dead enough or something. When it came to battles and strategy, Cas never felt sure of himself, which made him nervous. Nothing he planned ever went right. He always managed to break, ruin, burn, sit on or knock over something important. His disabling clumsiness at play once again. Yet he knew this strategy would work. Hazel found them a tunnel with no problem, her powers coming to play at just the right moment. Though she couldn't exactly help with the light situation. The quartet was creeping along by the sole light of Percy's glowing sword, Riptide and the sand-dollar pendant that hung from Caspian's neck. Above them, they could hear the sounds of battle... kids shouting, Hannibal the elephant bellowing with glee, scorpion bolts exploding and water cannons firing. The tunnel shook as though being tossed around in an earthquake as mounds of dirt rained down on them. Cas winced as he nearly tripped again, it was only Frank's tight grip on his bicep that kept him upright. Just then, another explosion rocked the tunnel, and they were forced to run for the light at the end. They popped out of their hole, exactly where the light had ended.

In front of them, the fort's east wall loomed. Off to their left, Caspian could see the main line of the Fifth Cohort advancing in turtle formation, shields forming a shell over their heads and sides. They were trying to reach the main gates, but the defenders above pelted them with rocks and shot flaming bolts from the scorpions, blasting craters around their feet. A water cannon discharged with a jaw-rattling ripping noise, and a jet of powerful liquid carved a trench in the dirt, right in front of the struggling cohort. The Third and Fourth Cohorts weren’t even advancing. They stood back and laughed, watching their 'allies' get beaten up. The defenders clustered on the wall above the gates, yelling insults at the tortoise formation as it staggered back and forth sickeningly. War games had deteriorated into yet another round of 'beat up the Fifth'. Cas was livid with anger, as he squeezed his pendant to withdraw his sword. Just as Frank drew an arrow from his quiver. The iron tip was shaped like the nose cone of a rocket. An ultrathin gold rope trailed from the fletching. Percy was eyeing the arrow in confusion as Frank turned to him.

"Hey Percy, can you knock out the water cannons?"

"I'm..uhh.."

Percy looked unsure as he looked from his hands, to the massive water cannons all around them. Defenders began to converge on them, more and more kids came across the battlements to laugh at them. A few ran to the nearest water cannon and turned the barrel towards Frank. No...not going to happen. Cas met Percy's eyes and in an instant, they were moving in tandem. Raising their arms and shoving them downwards with a harsh displacement of air. Someone screamed, just as the water cannon exploded in a starburst of blue, green and white. Defenders screamed even louder as a watery shockwave flattened them against the battlements. Kids toppled over the walls but were snatched up by giant guardian eagles and carried to safety. Then the entire eastern wall shuddered as the explosion backed up through the pipelines. One after another, the water cannons on the battlements exploded. The scorpions' fires were doused. Defenders scattered in confusion or were tossed through the air, giving the rescue eagles quite a workout. At the main gates, the Fifth Cohort forgot about their formation. Mystified, they lowered their shields and stared at the chaos.

It was then that Frank shot his arrow. It streaked upward, carrying its glittering rope. When it reached the top, the metal point fractured into a dozen lines that lashed out and wrapped round anything they could find...parts of the wall, a scorpion, a broken water cannon and a couple of defending campers, who yelped and found themselves slammed against the battlements as anchors. Cas was whooping in undisguised glee as Frank looked at them, his eyes bright and body pumping with adrenaline.

"Go!!"

Frank bellowed at the top of his lungs as he headed the charge. His trio of best friends flanking his sides. They were halfway into the opposing side before the defenders recovered their senses enough to sound the alarm. Gwen was the first of the Fifth Cohort's main team to unfreeze. She grinned and seconded Frank's call. A cheer went up from the battlefield. Hannibal the elephant trumpeted with happiness, but Caspian and the rest of the quartet couldn't afford to watch. Frank was fighting like a whirlwind. Hazel appeared next to Cas, just moments later, swinging her big cavalry sword like she was born for battle. Percy leaped after them and raised Riptide threatening. Just as Cas waved his own sword in the air. Together they cleared the defenders off the walls and the opposing side. Below them the gates broke. Hannibal barreled into the fort, arrows and rocks bouncing harmlessly off his Kevlar armor. The Fifth Cohort charged in behind the elephant, and the battle went hand-to-hand. Finally, from the edge of the Field of Mars, a battle cry went up. The Third and Fourth Cohorts ran to join the fight. True it was a bit late, but at least they showed up. The four of them moved like a team, as if they had been working together for years. They rushed across the interior field and into the enemy base without a moment's hesitation.

After that, the battle was pure mayhem. Frank, Percy, Cas and Hazel waded through the enemy, hastily ploughing down anyone who stood in their way. The First and Second Cohorts, pride of Camp Jupiter, a well-oiled, highly disciplined war machine... fell apart under the assault and the sheer novelty of being on the losing side for once. Part of their problem was Percy and Cas. They fought like demons, whirling through the defenders' ranks in the same completely unorthodox style, rolling under their feet, slashing with their swords instead of stabbing like a Roman would, whacking campers with the flat of their blades and generally causing mass panic. Octavian screamed in a shrill voice, maybe ordering the First Cohort to stand their ground, maybe trying to sing soprano. But Cas and Percy put a stop to it. They fought together as if one had taught the other. Anticipating one another's next blows like clockwork and doing all they could to compliment one another. They somersaulted in tandem over a line of shields and Percy slammed the butt of his sword into Octavian's helmet. The centurion collapsed like a sock puppet and both father and son laughed like hyenas.

Frank shot arrows until his quiver was empty, using blunt-tipped missiles that wouldn’t kill but left some nasty bruises. He broke his pilum over a defender’s head, then reluctantly drew his gladius. Meanwhile, Hazel climbed onto Hannibal’s back. She charged towards the centre of the fort, grinning down at her friends. They ran to the center of the base without a second's thought. The inner keep was virtually unguarded. Obviously the defenders had never dreamed an assault would ever get so far. Hannibal busted down the huge doors. Inside, the First and Second Cohort standard-bearers were sitting around a table playing Mythomagic with cards and figurines. Cas tried to ignore the pang in his chest as he saw the familiar cards. The cohort's emblems were propped carelessly against a nearby stone wall. Hazel and Hannibal rode straight into their room, and the standard-bearers fell backwards out of their chairs in surprise. Hannibal stepped on the table, and game pieces scattered. By the time the rest of the cohort caught up with them, Percy, Caspian and Frank had disarmed the enemies, grabbed the banners and climbed onto Hannibal's wrinkly back with Hazel. They marched out of the keep triumphantly with the enemy colors. The Fifth Cohort quickly formed ranks around them. Together they paraded out of the fort, past stunned enemies and lines of equally mystified allies. The grin on Caspian's face was enormous.

"Assemble for Honors! The game is won!!"

Reyna cried as she flew low overhead on her pegasus. She sounded as if she were trying not to laugh. Slowly the campers regrouped on the Field of Mars. Caspian saw plenty of minor injuries... some burns, broken bones, black eyes, cuts and gashes, plus a lot of very interesting hairdos from fires and exploding water cannons, but nothing that couldn't be fixed. The seventeen year old slid off the elephant. His comrades swarmed him, pounding him on the back and complimenting him. The teenager wondered if he was dreaming. It was one of the best nights of his life... until he saw Gwen that is.

"Help us! Please, she's been hurt bad!"

A couple of campers rushed out of the fortress, carrying a girl on a stretcher. They set her down, and other kids started running over. Even from a distance, Caspian could tell it was Gwen. She was clearing in bad shape. He could practically feel his stomach coiling with worry. She lay on her side, still on the stretcher with a pilum sticking out of her armor, almost like she was holding it between her chest and her arm, but there was too much blood. Far too much blood. Just as much blood as there had been the night he died. No.. oh gods no... not Gwen. The medics barked at everyone to stand back and give her air. The whole legion fell silent as the healers worked, desperately trying to get gauze and powdered unicorn horn under Gwen's armor to stop the bleeding, trying to force some nectar into her mouth. Gwen didn't move. Her face was ashen grey. Dead. Cas knew it even before the medic turned to Reyna and shook his head pointedly. For a moment, there was no sound except water from the ruined cannons trickling down the walls of the fort. Hannibal sadly nuzzled Gwen's hair with his trunk. Reyna surveyed the campers from her pegasus. Her expression was as hard and dark as Stygian iron as she growled.

"There will be an investigation. Whoever did this, you cost the legion a good officer. Honourable death is one thing, but this..."

Cas didn't comprehend what she said at first, until he saw the marks engraved in the wooden shaft of the pilum: CHT I LEGIO XII F. The weapon belonged to the First Cohort, and the point was sticking out the front of her armor. Gwen had been speared from behind, possibly after the game had ended. Caspian scanned the crowd for Octavian. The centurion was watching with more interest than concern, as if he were examining one of his stupid gutted teddy bears. He didn't have a pilum. Blood roared in the teenager's ears. He wanted to strangle Octavian with his bare hands, he should've never saved that son of a bitch, but at that moment, Gwen gasped. She saw straight up on the stretcher, her eyes and mouth stretched wide. Her eyes were glowing and pupil-less as her head turned to stare right at Cas, a voice warbled from her mouth that was starkly not her own. But it was a voice that Caspian knew far too well. His Babbo's.

_"Mio soldatino, essere sicuro! Dobbiamo trovare un modo per arrivare a voi! Il Dad ha trovato il modo, basta un po' più a lungo! Noi vi amiamo!"_

The husky male voice screamed in Italian. Caspian's brain unconsciously translated the not so foreign language. 'My little soldier, please be safe! We will find a way to get to you! Your Dad is looking for a way, please hold on a little longer! We love you!' Burning tears prickled in Caspian's eyes and he had to stifle the overwhelming urge to bawl his eyes out. Meanwhile, the strange pupil-less glow faded from Gwen's eyes and she just sat there, blinking around in confusion. It was as if her life had been restored to her in one fell swoop. Cas was still trying to swallow his tears as everyone stared at Gwen in shock. Suddenly a thunderous voice sounded and rolled across the field, it definitely wasn't his Babbo's voice this time: DEATH LOSES ITS HOLD. THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING! Campers drew weapons. Hannibal trumpeted nervously. Scipio reared, almost throwing Reyna off his back. In the midst of the legion, a column of fire blasted into the air. Heat seared Caspian's eyelashes. Campers who had been soaked by the cannons found their clothes instantly steam-dried. Everyone scrambled backwards as a huge soldier stepped out of the explosion. The soldier was ten feet tall, dressed in Canadian Forces desert camouflage. He radiated confidence and power. His black hair was cut in a flat-topped wedge like Frank's. His face was angular and brutal, marked with old knife scars. His eyes were covered with infrared goggles that glowed from inside. He wore a utility belt with a sidearm, a knife holster and several grenades. In his hands was an oversized M16 rifle. With a jolt, Cas realized who it was. Mars. Frank's Dad.

Caspian wasn't surprised that as everybody stepped back, Frank stepped forward. He took three more steps. Then he sank to one knee. The other campers followed his example and knelt. Even Reyna dismounted. Cas debated his choices, before choosing to stand with Percy and refusing to kneel. Percy Jackson, his sword still in hand, was glaring at the giant soldier. Mars scanned the crowd. Then when his eyes met Cas' he shot him a white-toothed grin.

"Romans, lend me your ears! I’ve always wanted to say that. I come from Olympus with a message. Jupiter doesn't like us communicating directly with mortals, especially nowadays, but he has allowed this exception, as you Romans have always been my special people. I’m only permitted to speak for a few minutes, so listen up. This chick should be dead, yet she’s not. The monsters you fight no longer return to Tartarus when they are slain. Some mortals who died long ago are now walking the earth again. Thanatos has been chained. The Doors of Death have been forced open, and no one is policing them...at least, not impartially. Gaia allows our enemies to pour forth into the world of mortals. Her sons the giants are mustering armies against you..armies that you will not be able to kill. Unless Death is unleashed to return to his duties, you will be overrun. You must find Thanatos and free him from the giants. Only he can reverse the tide. I order a quest! You will go north and find Thanatos in the land beyond the gods. You will free him and thwart the plans of the giants. Beware Gaia! Beware her son, the eldest giant. Oh and you can get up now. Any questions?"

The campers shakily got up from their kneeling positions. Reyna and Octavian were blinking stupidly up at the god and Caspian was still trying to compose himself. Gods..his fathers were still looking for him. It had been so many months and they were still looking, still trying. Trying to bring him back. They loved him still. Gods, the tears were fighting back even harder but he didn't want to cry in front of Octavian and the others. It was humiliating. Speaking of Octavian, he was clearing his throat awkwardly as he tried to get Mars' attention. "Um, Lord Mars, just one tiny thing. A quest requires a prophecy, a mystical poem to guide us! We used to get them from the Sibylline books, but now it’s up to the augur to glean the will of gods. So if I could just run and get about seventy stuffed animals and possibly a knife..."

"You're the augur? Here. A prophecy. You can add it to your books, engrave it on your floor, whatever."

"Um...sir, this says, 'Go to Alaska. Find Thanatos and free him. Come back by sundown on June twenty-fourth or die'. Shouldn't it be a bit more vague?"

"Look, shut up. Now, what else? There was something else ... Oh, yes. C'mere, kid." Mars growled and turned to Frank and the teenager blanched. His legs were wobbling and he stepped forward against his will. Frank looked as if he were two steps away from fainting and he looked at Cas with pleading eyes. The seventeen year old just shrugged, what could he do? Mars wouldn't kill him. The god looked at his son with undisguised pride and arrogance as he spoke.

"Nice job taking the wall, kid. Who’s the ref for this game? You see that play, ref? That was my kid. First over the wall, won the game for his team. Unless you’re blind, that was an MVP play. You’re not blind, are you? Good. Then make sure he gets the Mural Crown. My boy, right here! Emily Zhang’s son. She was a good soldier. Good woman. This kid Frank proved his stuff tonight. Happy late birthday, kid. Time you stepped up to a real man’s weapon. Speaking of...my kid Frank Zhang is gonna lead the quest to free Thanatos, unless there are any objections? You can take three companions. Those are the rules. One of them needs to be this kid. Percy Jackson. He’s gonna learn some respect for Mars on this trip, or die trying. Then for the second, bring Goldilocks over here. Maybe he can find his way home.... you guys call him Caspian Snow. As for the third, I don’t care. Pick whomever you want. Have one of your senate debates. You all are good at those. Until next time, Romans. Do not disappoint me!"

Mars disappeared after that. Leaving Frank holding the god's M16. For a split second Frank had thought he’d be crushed under the weight of the massive assault rifle, but the gun had changed in midair, becoming smaller and thinner. When Frank had caught it, the weapon was a spear. It had a shaft of Imperial gold and a strange point like a white bone, flickering with ghostly light. Cas was shaking in exhaustion and surprise. Was Mars serious? Would he find a way back to his fathers on the quest? Reyna on the other hand, just turned towards Frank. Her expression was part amazement, part nausea, like she’d finally managed to swallow that lemon she'd been struggling with for a while. She reflexively raised her arm in a Roman salute. "Ave, Frank Zhang, son of Mars!" The whole legion followed her lead, but Frank clearly didn’t want their attention any more. Mars was his father. The god of war was sending him to Alaska. Frank had been handed more than a spear for his birthday. He’d been handed a death sentence. Cas could see the agony on his face and he was sympathetic. But the god had given him a chance.

A chance to see his family again.


	5. A Hole That Couldn't Be Filled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chocolate muffins, smelling of sea gods, stories and figurines of Hades.

_“If you gave someone your heart and they died, did they take it with them? Did you spend the rest of forever with a hole inside you that couldn't be filled?”_ ― Jodi Picoult

 

The lunch before the quest felt eerily similar to a funeral party.

Everybody ate stiffly. Campers talked in hushed tones and nobody seemed particularly happy. Thousands of eyes kept glancing over at Cas like he and his friends were the corpses of honor. Reyna made a brief 'heartfelt' speech wishing them luck. Octavian ripped open a putrid-colored Beanie Baby and pronounced grave omens and hard times ahead, but predicted the camp would be saved by an unexpected hero. Who was probably himself. Oh, Cas was getting sorrier and sorrier for saving the augur's skinny ass. His firm, nice...no, no, no. Not thinking about that. Hatred. He HATED Octavian.Then the other campers went off to their blissful afternoon classes, such as gladiator fighting, Latin lessons, paintball with ghosts, eagle training and a dozen other activities that sounded better than the suicide quest they were about to embark on. As the other campers left for their activities, the four questers went back to their Barracks to pack. Which took Cas all about five minutes, he didn't exactly have a lot of stuff. Just some purple camp tees, jeans, boxers, plus some nectar, ambrosia, a little mortal money, camping supplies, along with his Babbo's bloody Mythomagic cards and his sand-dollar pendant. Not exactly worthy of three-suitcases.

He could pack all of it into a ratty old backpack that he slung haphazardly over one shoulder. It was then that he bent over and grabbed the old grungy battle armor he'd left on the ground. With it was the pilum that had been thrust into his hands after the medics ripped it out of Gwen. But when Cas lifted it from the ground, something small and black clattered to the floor.

He raised an eyebrow sharply and bent to retrieve the even smaller item. Though he knew what it was from the moment he closed his hand around it. His heart skipped a beat in his chest and then clenched painfully, as if he were trapped in that vice again. Cas slowly peeled back his white-knuckled fingers to expose the small Mythomagic figurine of Hades resting in the center of his palm. Oh...wow...that hurt. That really hurt a whole fucking lot. Gods, Babbo...really? Now he really, really, REALLY felt like sobbing. But he was seventeen, which meant that he was too old to cry in public and make it seem okay. Even if he was holding a figurine of his grandfather. The same figurine that Dad had given Babbo after Aunt Bianca died. As far as Cas knew, Babbo never had it off of his person. But now Caspian was holding it in his hand. Aw fuck. What was he supposed to do? Go on the quest and find his own way back to his family, all the while helping the younger versions of his family members, or stay and wait for his Dads to save the day again. There was prickling in his eyes as he slowly sat the Mythomagic figurine of Hades on his dresser. He spoke then. Speaking to the stupid old and bent figurine as if it were his Dads. Gods, he was really losing it, wasn't he?

"Hey Dad, Babbo. I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry for dying on you guys like an idiot. But I just can't wait for you to save me again! I'm seventeen! I got myself into this mess, it's my job to get myself out of it. I love you guys and I promise I'll be back soon. But I've just gotta do this. It's really important. Who knows, I might even find a way back to you guys my own way. Goodbye. Love, your son Caspian."

Wow, that was just as remarkably awkward as Cas assumed it would be. Thankfully, the figurine didn't answer back, as Caspian picked it up once again and shoved it gently into his front pocket. One of their roommates, Bobby, gave them a ride to the border of the valley on Hannibal the elephant. From the hilltop, Cas could see everything. The Little Tiber snaked across golden pastures where the unicorns were grazing. The temples and forums of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight. On the Field of Mars, engineers were hard at work, pulling down the remains of last night’s fort and setting up barricades for a game of deathball. A normal day for Camp Jupiter, but on the northern horizon, storm clouds were gathering. Shadows moved across the hills, and Caspian imagined the face of Gaia getting closer and closer. Wow. That was remarkably poetic and depressing. As they all got off Hannibal, Bobby wished them a safe journey. Hannibal then wrapped the four questers with his trunk. Before the elephant taxi service headed back into the valley, the ground shaking beneath his feet. Cas really did try to think of something upbeat to say, but it was practically a funeral march.

It took them two hours to reach the docks in Alameda. No monsters attacked. Nobody looked at them like they were a homeless wild children. Frank had stored his spear, bow and quiver in a long bag made for skis. Hazel's cavalry sword was wrapped in a bedroll slung on her back. Together the four of them looked like normal high schoolers on their way to an overnight trip or something similar. They walked to Rockridge Station, bought their tickets with mortal money, and hopped on the BART train. A few hours later, they got off in Oakland. They had to walk through some rough neighborhoods, but nobody actually bothered them. Whenever the local gang members came close enough to look in Percy or Caspian's eyes, they quickly veered away. Percy had perfected his wolf stare after a while and Cas had picked up on it from early childhood, it was a look that said: However bad you think you are, I'm a thousand times worse. After being killed and brought back to life by his younger Babbo, suffice to say that Cas wasn't scared of gangs in the slightest. Pretty much nothing in the mortal world scared him anymore. In the late afternoon, they made it to the Alameda docks. The quartet looked out over San Francisco Bay and breathed in the salty sea air. Immediately both Cas and Percy felt better. This was their domain. True that Cas also felt the same way in a cemetary, but whatever. They would have the upper hand at sea. Even if Cas' powers weren't all they were cracked up to be.

Dozens of boats were moored at the docks, basically everything from fifty-foot yachts to ten-foot fishing boats. Caspian scanned the slips for some sort of magic vessel, a trireme, maybe, or a dragon-headed warship. He couldn't remember what boat his Dad had described, only the Uncle Leo's Argo II. It was then that he caught sight of a tiny boat, like a dinghy, it was covered in a rough purple tarp. Embroidered in faded gold along the canvas was S.P.Q.R. With a jolt, Cas remembered all the inside jokes about this quest that Uncle Frank, Aunt Hazel and his Dad had shared. Oh fuck. That shitty boat was their boat. Caspian hurried over and quickly uncovered the boat, his hands working the knots like he’d been doing it his whole life.

Under the tarp was an old steel rowboat with no oars. The boat had been painted dark blue at one point, but the hull was so crusted with tar and salt it looked like one massive nautical bruise. On the brow, the name Pax was still readable, cleanly lettered in gold. Painted eyes drooped sadly at the water level, as if the boat were about to fall asleep. On board were two benches, some steel wool, an old cooler, and a mound of frayed rope with one end tied to the mooring. At the bottom of the boat, a plastic bag and two empty Coke cans floated in several inches of scummy water. Great. Just dandy. Caspian then stepped to the side and held open his arms to present the shitty boat, while bellowing at the top of his lungs.

"Behold! The mighty Roman Navy!"

"There's got to be a mistake. This is a piece of junk."

"Aw Cas, you gotta be kidding me!"

Caspian imagined Octavian laughing at them, but he decided not to let it get him down. The Pax was still a boat. He watched as Percy jumped aboard, and the hull hummed under the son of Poseidon's feet, responding to his presence. He gathered up the garbage in the cooler and put it on the dock. He willed the scummy to flow over the sides and out of the boat. Then he pointed a the steel wool and sent it scrubbing and polishing so fast, that the steel began to smoke. When it was done, the boat was clean. Percy then pointed at the rope, and it untied itself from the dock. No oars, but that didn't matter. Percy could tell that the boat was ready to move, just awaiting his command. A wide smile brimmed on Cas' face and he didn't even need to be told before he hopped on. He loved being on the water. Even if his powers kind of sucked. Unfortunately, Hazel didn't look so excited. When she and Frank had settled on the seats, Percy concentrated, and the boat slipped away from the dock. Cas waved his hand a few times to speed along the boat, but mostly Percy had it covered.

Caspian's father turned the boat to the north, and in no time they were speeding along at fifteen knots, heading straight for the Golden Gate Bridge.

-TimeSkip-

"Hazel! Come on, please! Wake up!"

Cas whipped his head around about an hour or so after they'd set out, only to find that Hazel's eyes had rolled back into her head and she'd gone limp. Straight into one of her blackouts. Shit. Frank was standing next to her, his eyes wide and terrified as if he thought Hazel had just died in his arms. Caspian scooted over to them from where he'd been sitting and ignored the horror-stricken looks on the faces of his Dad and Uncle Frank. The last thing he needed was for them to freak-out over a simple blackout. Cas gently positioned Hazel so her head was in his lap and her body was pillowed on their packs. They couldn't wake her up now, there was nothing they could do. They'd just have to wait and Cas told that exact statement to the two older/younger boys who stood over him, staring at Hazel's prone body.

"She'll be fine guys. I can't tell you what this is, that's her choice. But we can't do anything to help her right now, she'll have to come out of it on her own. All I can tell you is that it's because of where Nico found us."

All the unspoken questions died off then, as the trio of conscious questers sat down and waited. By the time Hazel's eyes blinked open once again, the night sky blazed with stars and they'd stopped to rest for a while. Mostly because one of them was in memory-lantis but whatever. Caspian helped her sit up groggily, the youngest quester moaned that her head was spinning, but Cas was just happy that she was awake again. They were on a cliff overlooking a beach. About a hundred feet away, the ocean glinted in the moonlight. The surf washed gently against the stern of their beached boat. To their right, hugging the edge of the cliff, was a building like a small church with a searchlight in the steeple. A lighthouse. And behind them, billowing fields of tall grass rustled in the wind. They were in Mendocino, about a hundred and fifty miles north of the Golden Gate where Hazel had conked out. She seemed to realize this as she clung to Caspian's arms like a lifeline, her cinnamon colored hair falling and shrouding her eyes.

"Cas...how long?"

"A few hours or so. It's okay, Sis. Really. It was pretty boring and you didn't miss anything."

Percy knelt beside her, the sea wind sweeping his hair. He put his hand on her forehead as if checking for a fever and then pulled back when he felt nothing of the sort. Cas remembered the feeling of that hand on his forehead. Hazel's cheeks flushed in embarrassment when she realized just who was with them, and that Frank and Percy had seen the whole thing. They had seen her have a blackout. From the way Hazel hung her head in shame and the way tears shone in her eyes, it wasn't hard to follow her line of thinking. She thought she'd failed the quest, that she'd zonked out when they needed her the most. But really, sailing in the Pax wasn't all that perilous. Quite boring actually. But of course, Hazel had that morality complex so she looked as if Percy was slapping her as he explained everything that had happened.

"...We couldn't wake you. Finally we decided to bring you ashore. Cas said we couldn't help you, he wouldn't even tell us what it was. He said that we should ask you and that it was because of where Nico found you two."

"Cas is right. That was a blackout...I have them a lot. I'm just good at hiding them. But Cas doesn't have blackouts like me...at least none that I've seen."

She broke off into a fit of coughs, looking more like an exhausted child then a teenager on a perilous quest. With a jolt, Cas wondered if that was what his Dads had once thought about him. His hand moved to his pocket, squeezing his deck of Mythomagic cards and the Hades figurine. His sand-dollar pendant burned under his shirt collar and he closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn't see that look in Hazel's eyes. Not when he'd seen it mirrored in his own more times then he could count. "Is there anything to drink?" Hazel rasped and the whispered question sent Cas sprawling back to the present. He hastily clawed through his pack, before realizing they'd left their supplies down at the boat. Shit.

"Yeah....That was dumb. We left the supplies down at the boat."

"That's okay...I can..."

"Nope! Nu uh! You stay put. I'll go get the stuff."

"I'll go with you."

Cas winced at Percy's offer. Not that he didn't want to hang out with his sixteen year old Dad....but, it was his sixteen year old Dad. Still, he didn't do anything to fight as both of them dashed off together, racing towards the shoreline where they knew the Pax was waiting. Caspian wouldn't look Percy in the eye, he didn't like being alone with the guy. He didn't want to talk to Percy and look into his too-young face. Because he was scared of what he would see there and more so of what he wouldn't. It was the same way he'd felt about Reyna, Frank and Hazel. Along with those few times he'd seem Jason before he went missing. It took months before he could move past it and with occasionally seeing Babbo it was even harder, because the younger Babbo looked sick and ill. The moment they reached the Pax, lapping gently in the sea's waves, Percy slung his pack onto his shoulders and did the same with Hazel's. While Cas picked up his and Frank's. Then they began to hurry back to their fellow questers. Caspian didn't realize that Percy was lagging behind a bit, dragging his feet, until he was forced to turn around and tell the younger guy to hurry his ass up. Instead, Percy just stood there, staring at him in something akin to anger.

"What did I do? I mean...you gotta tell me, man. This is going to be one long hell of a quest if you hate me the entire time."

"I don't I hate you...I just..." Cas sighed, running a hand through his messy dark hair. "You remind me of someone I lost, okay? He was one of the best men I've ever known." Caspian used his wrist to scrub at his eyes and prevent any prospective tears from venturing out. Only to have Percy walk forwards and rest a hand on the older boy's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. How...never-mind. But...Hazel said she has blackouts because of where Nico found you guys. I'm guessing where he found you wasn't exactly New Orleans then?"

Percy's voice had a thin vein of mirth in it and a small smile sprung to Caspian's lips. He didn't want to talk about Hazel's past, she would have to tell that secret on her own time. But his mouth then began moving of it's own accord. A part of Cas believed strongly that Percy deserved to know something about who he was. Part of him just wanted to tell his Daddy about his problem and wait for him to make it better. So when he started talking, he couldn't stop. But he couldn't bring himself to look at the younger teen.

"Percy...I'm going to tell you a story. You've got to listen all the way through, okay? It's a story about two demigods who went on a dangerous quest together and fell in love while doing it. They loved each other so very much and both were very powerful. So powerful even, that the Gods coerced Cupid to help the two conceive a child. A child that would be the perfect hero, only inheriting the strengths of both his fathers. But...it didn't work out like that. Yes, a healthy son was born to them, sure...but there was a catch, as there always is. He wasn't powerful. Not like the formidable foes his fathers were. The Gods' plan had failed, but the child was beloved by both his dads, spectacular powers or no spectacular powers. He had a mismatched motley of Aunts and Uncles. And he was happy. But he grew resentful as he got older. Living in the shadows of both his fathers was impossible. He was well-trained and competent enough, but nothing special. So one day, he charged off on his own. Upset at once more being compared to the fathers he would never surpass....the hellhound came out of nowhere. It was so fast. There was so much blood...and he died there. He bled out. He died fighting a creature that his Dad had bested when he was only a child himself. The humiliation was boundless. And he woke up in the Fields of Asphodel, but...he was given a second chance by a pale boy who was looking for his sister Bianca. The Ghost King, Nico di Angelo."

"That boy...the son....was that you?"

"Yes. Percy...there's something else you should know...I'm your-"

Caspian's mumbled statement was cut off by a scream that cut through the air like a knife. Shit. Hazel. Both of them hurried forwards, trying to follow the sound of the scream. Only to burst into a clearing of tall grass, swords drawn. For a heartbeat, Cas was just as stunned as the karpoi who'd stolen Hazel and Frank right under their noses. Then the father-son pair began to massacre every source of fibre they could find. Frank helping out as well. The young archer shot an arrow through one, who crumpled into seeds instantly. Meanwhile Percy slashed Riptide through yet another one and charged towards two others. Hazel jumped down and joined the fight as well, just as soon as she was able. Within minutes, the karpoi had been reduced to piles of seeds and various breakfast cereals. One stubborn one started to re-form, but Percy pulled a lighter from his pack and sparked a flame. Which prompted the remnants of the karpoi to scatter aimlessly in the wind. They all smiled at each other for a blissful moment...but then that moment ended. Cas heard the monsters before he saw them.

Down below them, an army was on the move.The field dropped into a shallow ravine, where a country road wound north and south. On the opposite side of the road, grassy hills stretched to the horizon, empty of civilization except for one darkened convenience store at the top of the nearest rise. The whole ravine was full of monsters – column after column marching south, so many and so close that Cas was amazed they hadn't heard Hazel's shouting. She, Frank, Cas and Percy crouched against a huge rock. They watched in disbelief as several dozen large, hairy humanoids passed by, dressed in tattered bits of armor and animal fur. The creatures had six arms each, three sprouting on either side, so they looked like cavemen evolved from insects. Gegenes. The Earthborn. He remembered learning about them in monster class at camp. Both as child and nowadays. He'd never liked monster class – now or then. Reading Pliny the Elder and those other musty authors who described legendary monsters from the edges of the Roman Empire. Caspian believed in monsters sure and he'd seen a great many of them. But some of the descriptions were so wild he had thought they must've been just ridiculous rumors. Only now, a whole army of those rumors was marching by. Great.

It was almost too late when he realized what the creatures were behind the Earthborn. He felt sick as he watched as the horse-men cantered past. They were human from the waist up, palomino from the waist down. They were dressed in barbarian armor of bronze, armed with spears and slings. At first, Caspian thought they were wearing Viking helmets. Then he realized they had actual horns jutting from their shaggy hair. That wasn't right. He was sure Chiron hadn't had any horns and he'd had plenty of pony-rides enough to know. Then behind the Centaurs came the Cyclopes. A battalion of one-eyed ogres, both male and female, each about ten feet tall, wearing armour cobbled out of junkyard metal. Six of the monsters were yoked like oxen, pulling a two-storey-tall siege tower fitted with a giant scorpion ballista. "Guys...I don't feel so hot..." Cas turned around and instantly looped an arm around Percy. If he hadn't, the younger demigod would've face-planted on the grass. The monster army was enough to make anyone despair, but Caspian soon realized that something else was going on with Percy. He looked pale and sickly in the moonlight, as if his memories were trying to come back, scrambling his mind in the process. Cas didn't think anything could make the day worse. But then he saw the giant.

When he appeared over the ridge, Caspian couldn't quite believe his eyes. The monster was taller than the siege tower – thirty feet, at least – with scaly reptilian legs like a Komodo dragon from the waist down and green-blue armor from the waist up. His breastplate was shaped like rows of hungry monstrous faces, their mouths open as if demanding food. His face was human, but his hair was wild and green, like a mop of seaweed. As he turned his head from side to side, snakes dropped from his dreadlocks. Viper dandruff – gross. He was armed with a massive trident and a weighted net. Just the sight of those weapons made Cas' stomach clench. He'd faced that type of fighter in gladiator training many times. It was the trickiest, sneakiest, most evil combat style he knew. Even the ones he'd learned from his dads. This giant was a supersize retiarius.

"Polybotes."

Hazel whispered and Cas winced. This giant was another child of Gaia – a creature of the earth so malevolent and powerful that he radiated his own gravitational field. Caspian knew they should've left. Their hiding place behind of the rock would be in plain sight to a creature that tall, if he chose to look in their direction. But Cas sensed something important was about to happen. So he and his fellow questers crept a little further down from the rock and kept watching. As the giant got close, a Cyclops woman broke ranks and ran back to speak with him. She was enormous, fat and horribly ugly, wearing a chain-mail dress like a muumuu – but next to the giant she looked like a child. She pointed to the closed-up convenience store on top of the nearest hill and muttered something about food. The giant snapped back an answer, as if he was annoyed. The female Cyclops barked an order to her kindred, and three of them followed her up the hill. When they were halfway to the store, a searing light turned night into day. Even Cas was blinded. Below them, the enemy army dissolved into chaos, monsters screaming in pain and outrage. Caspian squinted. He felt like he'd just had a staring contest with a flashlight.

The store on the hill was encased in a rainbow, closer and brighter than any Cas had ever seen. The light was anchored at the store, shooting up into the heavens, bathing the countryside in a weird kaleidoscopic glow. The lady Cyclops hefted her club and charged at the store. As she hit the rainbow, her whole body began to steam. She wailed in agony and dropped her club, retreating with multi-colored blisters all over her arms and face. She was screeching something at the store, but Cas couldn't hear. He could only think of one goddess who could've controlled a rainbow like that....Isis. The other monsters went crazy, charging the convenience store,then running away as the rainbow light burned them. Some threw rocks, spears, swords and even pieces of their armor, all of which burned up in flames of pretty colors. Finally the giant leader seemed to realize that his troops were throwing away perfectly good equipment. "Stop!" The monster bellowed. With some difficulty, he managed to shout and push and pummel his troops into submission. When they’d quieted down, he approached the rainbow-shielded store himself and stalked around the borders of the light. A snarl made his lips curl and Cas could only stare.

"Goddess! Come out and surrender! I am Polybotes! Kneel before me so I may destroy you quickly."

Apparently, no one in the store was impressed. Instead, a tiny dark object came sailing out of the window and landed at the giant’s feet. Oh shit. Grenade. The giant obviously thought the same thing, because he leapt into action. He covered his face and his troops instantly hit the ground. Though some did have some difficulty moving their obese bodies that quickly. When the thing did not explode, Polybotes bent down cautiously and picked it up. Then his fat face turned beet red in outrage as he bellowed. "A chocolate muffin?! You dare insult me with a chocolate muffin?!" He threw the cake back at the shop, and it vaporized in the light. The monsters then got to their feet. Several muttered hungrily and were whining at the female Cyclops until she silenced them with a growl and a vow."Come my sons! Vengeance! The orange and purple ones destroyed my home. Now Ma Gasket will destroy theirs! Do you hear me, Leo? Jason? Piper? I come to annihilate you!" The other Cyclopes bellowed in approval. The rest of the monsters even joined in. Caspian felt his blood run cold and he shivered. Uncle Jason, Uncle Piper and Uncle Leo? Shit. The quest was moving faster then he thought. He knew something was wrong when Jason went missing from camp. But he hadn't realized that the quest had begun or he would've come with him. Hazel whipped her head around to look at all of them.

"Jason. She fought Jason. He might still be alive!"

No duh, he was still alive. He was part of Hera's heroes. Though Cas couldn't really tell why that was. Percy still looked sickly and dazed, and before the moved any farther, Caspian looped his arms under the sixteen year old's legs and back. Picking him up in a bridal carry. As weird as that sounded. There was no way Percy was going to be able to run and Cas may have been short, but he was also strong. Below them, the army began to march south again, but the giant Polybotes stood to one side, frowning and sniffing the air.

"Sea god. I smell sea god."

Aw fuck. Really?! Caspian wanted to bang his head against a conveniently placed rock as he pulled a shaking Percy closer to his chest. He hung on Polybotes' every word. "I was born to destroy Neptune. I can sense..." Eventually though, the female Cyclops smacked him over the head and got him walking again. Even if he did laugh wickedly and throw some huge snakes into the tall grass on the hillside. Then he marched south, his massive Komodo legs shaking the earth. Gradually, the last column of monsters passed over the hills and disappeared into the night. Once they were gone, the blinding rainbow shut off like a spotlight. Hazel, Caspian, Frank and Percy were left alone in the dark, staring across the road at a closed-up convenience store. Great. Just dandy. It wasnt aided by the fac that Percy was shuddering violently in Cas' arms like he had hypothermia. The trio knew he needed help, or rest, or something. Seeing that army seemed to have triggered some kind of memory, leaving him shell- shocked. They should get him back to the boat. On the other hand, a huge stretch of grassland lay between them and the beach. They all got the feeling the karpoi wouldn’t stay away forever.

No one liked the idea of the four of them making their way back to the boat in the middle of the night.

"We have to go inside the store, guys. Whether we become snake-chow or not." Caspian grumbled tiredly, adjusting Percy's weight in his arms. For a second it looked like Frank was going to argue with him, but in the end, the younger boy just sighed and agreed.

"Well ... any goddess who throws a muffin at a giant can’t be all bad. Let’s go."


End file.
